


The Night with no Moon

by Reglee



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Magic, Powerful Harry, Romantic Soulmates, Slow Romance, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-03-20 22:20:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 62,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13727151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reglee/pseuds/Reglee
Summary: After being used as a weapon in the war against Voldemort, Harry moves to Japan for a fresh start. Harry/Honey Soulmate AU.





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Ouron High School Host Club.

* * *

Chapter One  


Sometimes he wished that he didn't have magic. Maybe he could have been happy in a different world, with different circumstances, but he would never know.

Hours after he woke up in the early morning, Harry continued to lay in bed. The curtains of his room in Grimmauld Place were drawn tight, and very little light shone through. The ceiling was blurry, but he stared at it anyway to keep his mind from wandering. If he didn't, his thoughts drifted to his nightmares, and his body would tremble. It was better to lay there -and not think about anything at all- than be lost in his memories.

A screech tore through the silence of the room, making him jump and raise his wand. He summoned his glasses, and scanned the room for any threats. He saw nothing unusual but Hedwig glaring at him from her perch next to his bed.

She screeched at him again and he realized that she wanted food, he hadn't gotten up to feed her yet. "Sorry girl, I'll go make you something now." He pushed the heavy comforter off his body, swung his bare feet to the floor, and padded out of his room and through the empty halls to the kitchen. He saw no reason to change out of his pajamas; he doubted he'd see anyone that day.

When he got to the kitchen Harry turned on the burner and reached up to get the heavy iron skillet off the wall. Hedwig flew into the kitchen with a pleased hoot. A few moments later, sizzling grease crackled in his pan and the salty aroma of fresh bacon filled his nose.

A pop appeared to his right as he placed a strip on a paper towel, he barely managed not to drop it. "Filthy Master be's cooking again," Kreacher grumbled.

"Yep," Harry grunted. He tore off a piece and held it out to Hedwig, who nipped it from his fingers. He couldn't stop his lips from twitching upwards, it always made him happy to see her enjoy his food.

"And wills you be eating any of it this time, filthy Master?"

"I'm not hungry Kreacher, but thanks for asking," he said down at the elf.

Kreacher sighed and Hedwig few onto his arm and bit his ear. The elf floated two slices of bread into the toaster and started preparing tea. "You's be eating today, dirty Master." Harry didn't respond, and Hedwig turned her head from him when he held out the next piece of bacon.

He sighed. "Fine, I'll eat something." He popped the bacon from his fingers into his mouth. He mechanically chewed and swallowed the meat without tasting it. "See? No problem."

Kreacher continued to grumble and scuttle around the kitchen, and Hedwig hooted happily, only eating in turn after he did. When the bacon was gone, Kreacher led him into the sitting room and set a plate of toast and a cup of tea on the side table by the window. He followed and sat down in the chair next to it, idly tapping one of its arms.

After a few minutes of this, he heard Kreacher grunt in front of him. The elf was glaring at him, Harry thought he had left. He picked up the toast and nibbled on its edge. "See, I'm fine," he said to the indignant elf. Kreacher gave one last glare and disappeared.

Harry took another bite of toast and set it back on the plate. It tasted like sawdust, and his stomach was starting to feel queasy. He waved his hand and the chair lifted up below him, rotating to face the window before settling back down. He leaned forward and peaked through the curtains to look out at the street. It was fairly crowded, many wizards were trying to blend in as muggles and not watching where his door should be. A few of them with cameras hanging from their necks, and a man leaning on a light post was reading the Daily Prophet with the headline "Harry Potter: Is our savior dark? How he really defeated the Dark Lord!".

He waved the curtains closed and fisted his shaking hands in his long sleeves, hugging them to his chest. They didn't know anything. His magic bubbled and cracked inside of him, threatening to break loose and incinerate everyone outside his home. It would be easy. He bit his lip and breathed heavily, in and out, until he cleared his mind and brought his magic back under control.

Harry eventually grew bored of staring at the wall and summoned a book on warding he had been reading from the Black Library. It detailed how to incorporate traps into the layers of wards, the Blacks really were a nasty bunch. It was interesting though, and he found himself learning many tidbits that hadn't been covered by his training or his self-study.

Around three o'clock the fireplace flared and Harry looked up from his book. Dumbledore flooed into the room wearing bright purple robes covered in yellow ducks. "Good afternoon Headmaster." He hadn't wanted to see him today. "How are you?"

Dumbledore smiled at him and took a seat in the adjacent armchair. "Quite well, Harry. It's been busy at the ministry ever since the final battle, but the work is necessary. And yourself?"

Harry shrugged. "The same, as usual."

Dumbledore hummed. "Have you considered the offer to come back to Hogwarts? Your friends miss you." Harry kept his face from showing any irritation, Dumbledore brought up the offer every time he visited.

He shook his head. "We both know that I don't have any real friends there anymore, and the curriculum has nothing more to offer me." He'd hardly even attended classes the last few years anyway, instead going through private training. It had worked out in the end though, he wouldn't have survived the war without it.

Dumbledore nodded his assent, and then Kreacher brought in a pot tea. Harry thanked the elf and poured them each a cup. They spent a moment in companionable silence as they each blew on their drink and added a healthy spoonful of sugar.

"You were right about warding, it's more interesting than I thought. My library had books I haven't heard of before," Harry said. One of his projects that winter was combining the Potter and Black libraries. It was probably one of best collections of magical knowledge in all of Europe, and had many books he couldn't find in the Hogwarts library.

"Ah, excellent," Dumbledore said. "That's one branch of magic that is constantly evolving, much like spell-crafting. When a warder makes a new defense, the ward-breakers make a counter, and vice versa. Would you consider doing a mastery in either? I know plenty of masters who would take you on."

"No, I probably know enough for a mastery already, there's no point studying under someone else for a year or two just for a title. I'm fine studying it in my own time."

Dumbledore sighed. "Well, have you considered what you want to do in the future at all? You're only fifteen Harry, you have a long life yet to make something of yourself."

"What more could I make of myself than Boy-Who-Conquered, the next Dark Lord?" He snorted into his cup, "It doesn't matter, I've already completed my life's purpose."

"We both know that's not true," Dumbledore slumped back into his chair. "Just look at yourself! You're losing weight, and I'm assuming you've stopped doing Moody's training regime. You are wasting away here, I can only imagine how sad your parents and Sirius would be."

"Well it's not like I can even go on a run without being hounded by the press or attacked by the remnants of Tom's supporters, or even our former allies!" Harry rubbed his side and looked down into his cup. "I just want to be left alone, haven't I earned that?"

"Oh Harry, you've earned much more than that," Dumbledore said.

The room fell quiet, and they each finished off their tea in the silence. There wasn't much left to be said, it was a recurring argument they've been having for weeks. Then like all of the other visits, his mentor brought out an ancient chess set, and they started a game.

Dumbledore tried to open with a gambit, but Harry didn't take the piece and instead developed his bishop. He never played gambits, he thought that the advantage they could give generally weren't worth the potential the pawn had.

After they ended in a draw, Dumbledore stood up to leave and walked across the room the fireplace. He picked up a handful of floo-powder, but then let it slip back out of his hands into the pot. The old man turned back towards Harry, eye's sparkling in a way he hadn't seen since the war, when he and his mentor strategized ways to defeat the dark lord.

"Tell me Harry, do you have any interest in learning a new language?"

* * *

By Saturday, he was ready to leave England. That afternoon Harry gathered together his trunk and Hedwig in her cage and portkeyed into the magical customs of Narita Airport in Japan. He endured the tumultuous spinning of the portal for several long minutes before he was flung from its exit. As usual, he landed facedown on the floor with a smack. He groaned and sat up, checking over Hedwig who didn't appear too jostled by the journey. At some point he had lost his hat. He quickly shook his head back and forth in an attempt tame his wild hair, which was sticking straight up from the journey.

"Excuse me, are you Evans Hari-san?" a female voice to his left said. He looked up to see a tall Japanese woman in a suit scrutinizing him with worried eyes. Harry sprang to his feet and belatedly tried to brush the dust off his white button-down shirt.

"Yes, I mean, hai! That's me," Harry stammered. He still wasn't used to speaking in Japanese, but he had practiced a little while preparing for the move. The Babel Potion granted knowledge of a language, but it was difficult putting that knowledge to work.

"Oh, you're a little smaller than I expected!" the woman chuckled, before she seemed to realize she said that out loud and resumed a professional demeanor. "Sorry, please excuse me. I'm Agent Masako from the Administration of Magic. Japan is happy to provide you shelter from your unfortunate circumstances. I'll be helping you get settled in. I hope you find my country peaceful and welcoming."

"Thank you," Harry said slowly, struggling to form the unfamiliar sounds. He needed time to work on his muscle memory to speak Japanese comfortably, and also he wasn't sure how to take her comment on his stature. He was just slightly below average height! He hugged Hedwig's cage to his chest and held her out proudly. "This is Hedwig, my owl." Hedwig hooted a greeting.

Agent Masako's hands twitched towards them, but then she took a step back instead. She nodded at Hedwigl and gestured for them to follow her. "We should get going so we don't crowd the arrivals." she said. He picked up his trunk, revealing his hat beneath it. He quickly put it back on his head and settled his trunk and Hedwig on a cart. Masako led them through the airport.

As they passed through the crowds, he anxiously examined every face for signs of a threat. His magic rippled and his fingers twitched to release his wand from its holster, but he held back the gesture. He didn't need it here, everyone was a stranger and meant him no harm. He repeated that mantra continuously until they left the crowds behind and found a black, government issue car.

Harry quickly loaded his trunk and Hedwig, then settled into the passenger seat. He breathed in and out, clearing his mind to calm himself back down. He pulled a sugar cube from his pocket and ate it, focusing on the dissolving sugar. He puckered his lips to extract all of its sweet flavor. His hands normally stopped shaking first, but it took a little longer for his magic to stop feeling jittery.

"Are you alright?" Agent Masako asked with concern once he had settled in. Her body was tense, he hoped he didn't scare her.

"Sorry, I'm fine," he stared at his feet. "I just don't like crowds." He received a brief smile back and the agent started the car.

"I'll have to show you our magical district another day then, a lot of people like to shop there on the weekends," she turned the car out of the airport's parking lot and onto the highway leading into Tokyo. The cityscape completely encompassed the horizon, it was impressive.

"Thanks… that very kind of you. I'm sorry if it ruins any of your plans," Harry said.

"Oh don't worry about it," Masako let out a small laugh. "My job is to make you feel welcome, I'd be a crappy handler if I went and put you in a difficult environment on your first day in the country!"

He smiled back at her and started gazing out the windows at Tokyo as they drove. It seemed very busy, like London. All of the salarymen walking up and down the sidewalks gave him the impression of workers in a beehive moving in hectic order. He decided not to visit downtown by himself anytime soon, he was sure that he would get lost and need to apparate to get home.

"I read in your file that you aren't planning on going to school, muggle or magical. What are your plans then?" Masako asked.

"That's right, I don't need any more schooling," Harry fidgeted. "I guess I haven't thought much about it. I'll probably read a lot, and work on the projects you give me."

"Yes, Albus-san mentioned to call you whenever we had something interesting to keep you busy," she mused. "He's a bit of a meddler, isn't he?"

Harry snorted. "Yeah, that sounds like him."

"You like to read then? What kinds of books did you bring?"

"It's more something to do than enjoying it for me, but I like learning new things. Most of the compartments in my trunk are filled with books from my family library," he said. He went over the sentence again in his head and tried not to cringe, he sounded so boring.

Masako giggled. "You're a bit of a nerd, aren't you? That's ok, we'll make sure to visit bookstores in the magical district, and I'll work on finding you some form of entertainment."

The towering skyscrapers faded away behind them and they entered a suburban area like Surrey, except with a less affluent but homey atmosphere. He saw many families out enjoying the late afternoon, and people carrying bags walking home from shopping. It seemed like a nice neighborhood, he hoped no one would bother him.

After ten minutes of driving, the car stopped. "We're here," Masako said. Harry stepped out of the car and looked around, but couldn't see anything that screamed his new home, it was just another part of the neighborhood. Agent Masako got out from the other side and pointed at the two-story apartment building on her side of the car.

"This is where you'll be staying," she said. "Sorry if it's a little small, but it's the best thing we could find on short notice after you insisted on living alone."

"I'm sure it'll be fine." He was sure that whoever he lived with would have been perfectly nice, and he probably would have been in a nicer place than this, but he didn't come to Japan to be a burden on anyone else. He grabbed his trunk and Hedwig, who hooted at him from her cage. "Just a little longer. Then I can let you out."

"Let's head inside," Masako said, leading him up the stairs. "You're staying in apartment 4. It was already furnished, but you can make any changes you want." She dug into her pockets and handed him a key. "Here's yours, and I'll have a spare." Then she unlocked the door and they went inside.

The traditional Japanese apartment had a living room with a low table surrounded by tatami mats, and rooms behind sliding doors. It had hardwood floors, and the walls were a stark white. He kicked off his shoes by the door and walked around. Everything was neutral: the walls, the furniture, even the smell of the air. With each step his socks slid on the smooth floor. He restrained himself from trying to skate while Masako was there. He knew a nifty spell to remove friction he could try on it later.

"It's nice," Harry said. He set his trunk down and opened Hedwig's cage on the table. She immediately flew out and fluttered back and forth in the apartment, inspecting her new home. He opened his trunk and shifted the compartments around until he found her perch so she would have somewhere to rest when she was done.

"The kitchen is already stocked, and there's a market that's five minutes away when you need new groceries, as well as a convenience store down the street. A credit card hooked up to your Gringot's account is on the table. There's also a computer in the room in front of you and a cell phone with my number in it if you need anything."

"I won't be needing those, but thanks. My magic would break them in a few days anyway."

Masako giggled. "I forgot how isolated magical Europe is. A witch in China fixed that problem a few years ago. Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be fine."

Harry's eyes widened. "Oh," he replied. He'd have to send Dumbledore a letter about that, he doubted the old man was even aware of the advancement. He walked into the room and approached the large monitor sitting innocuously on a desk. His reflection stared back at him from the black screen. He tentatively pressed a few keys and clicked the mouse. Nothing happened. Was she joking about the problem being fixed?

"Agent Masako? I might have broken it," he called, stepping back from the device.

She sauntered into the room, took a quick look at the computer and laughed. "It's not even turned on." She bent over and pressed a large button on a box next to the desk, causing it to light up and whir into life. "This is actually the computer," she said, pointing at the box. "The monitor just displays the information." She continued to give him a basic tutorial on how to use the machine, going into detail about how to use a search engine and the possible dangers of the internet. Then she did the same with the phone, which looked even more alien to him. Weren't they supposed to be connected to a wall?

When she was finished, they went back into the living room. She started checking over all of the appliances to make sure they worked right, while he explored the kitchen. He found all the basics to make most things from scratch, as well as some earl grey and green tea. He rummaged around the cabinets for a teapot, but couldn't find one. He grabbed a spoon and transfigured it into the one from Grimmauld Place to use instead. He turned around and saw Masako looking at him curiously.

"You don't need a wand?" she asked.

Harry shook his head. "Not for most things, but I bring it out for more delicate work like warding, and dueling."

The woman hummed and looked him over appreciatively. "Looks like Albus-san's reports had some truth to them. Just be careful around the non-magicals, we are a more lenient on the Statute here in Japan, but we still don't like revealing magic carelessly."

He nodded. "I don't think I'll be using it much anyway, outside of your projects. I'd like to try living normally for a change."

When the tea was ready, he grabbed the pot, cups, and biscuits and brought them into the living room. They sat on the mats around the low table. He brought out his bag of sugar cubes and popped one in his mouth before adding some to his tea. He sat back on his hands while he enjoyed the bliss in his mouth while the cube dissolved. Eating on the floor and the low table was interesting. While not exactly uncomfortable, he wasn't sure he particularly. He resolved to try it out for a while longer before he considered switching to western furniture. When in Rome, and all that.

"Do you need help unpacking?" Masako asked over her cup.

"No, I'm looking forward to doing it myself actually," Harry responded. "It'll be a good way to pass the time until I can sleep on your schedule."

The woman gasped. "Oh right, you must be very tired," she said with concern. "Please excuse me for not noticing! How long have you been awake?"

Harry waved her off. "Don't worry about it, this is nothing for me." Moody had made sure he could go days without sleep, and it had been necessary for a few back to back battles when the war was at its peak.

"Ah, right," Masako said. They sat in silence while they finished their tea. Hedwig flew into the room and landed on the table. She hopped over to him and chirped, making her eyes as large as they could go. Harry gave in and fed her a piece of his biscuit.

When they had each finished their tea, Masako got ready to leave. Harry followed her to the door. "Looks like you are all set," she said. "Do you want to see the magical district on Monday? The crowds should be better then."

He nodded at her. "Sounds great."

"Call me if you need anything! Do you remember how to use the phone?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Right before she crossed the threshold outside, she jumped over and gave him a quick hug. He stood stock still, keeping his magic on a tight leash. Masako stepped back with a blush. "Sorry, that was inappropriate," she paused and straightened her jacket. "I was expecting this big strong warrior, and got you instead, and you've been through so much and are so sweet… I've been holding myself back all day! See you Monday, Hari-kun!" She quickly evacuated the apartment and closed the door behind her.

Harry took another moment to make sure his magic was calm. "That was unexpected," he said to Hedwig. He walked over and sat on the mat next to her, and ate another sugar cube. "She was nice, weird though." Hedwig hooted in agreement.

Now that he was alone, Harry relaxed and sunk into the mat. His magic was stressed out from the crowds and unfamiliar environment. It had been fighting against his control all day, wanting to spill out and protect him. He leaked some of it out, making himself float into the air along with various objects in the room. He needed to use up all this excess before it got out of hand.

Harry closed his eyes and crossed his legs, then began an exercise he got from Dumbledore's training. He held his hands out in front of him, and coaxed a strand of magic out of each fingertip. Slowly, he weaved them inside and out of each other between his hands until a ball of pure magical energy formed. Harry kept building the ball, working in more strands until about half of his magical core was emptied. Even with his eyes closed he could easily sense the individual strands that made up the basketball-sized orb. Then with the lingering threads at his fingertips, he stabilized the ball and compressed it into a small pearl.

Harry opened his eyes and stopped the magical flow from his body. He fell and landed in a crouch, his hand snapping out to catch the pearl from the air. He looked over the pearl that glowed softly in the now dark room. It was almost white, but if he looked closely he could see every color of the rainbow in the crystalized filaments of magic.

He walked over to his trunk and pulled out a small chest. He opened it up and tossed the pearl in with the rest. He had a good-sized pile now. He closed the box and hid it under his bed in his room. Then he switched on a light and sat back down next to Hedwig, exhausted. That had taken longer than he thought it would. Making the pearls was hard work, but necessary. He had way too much magic for his immature core to handle, and it all had to go somewhere. Hedwig flew into his lap. He refocused his attention on her, cooing and petting her feathers. She cuddled into his chest and happily absorbed his affection.

After a while Harry stopped and unpacked the rest of his belongings from the trunk. He found the real teapot from Grimmauld Place, and changed back the spoon. He also put away his wardrobe, which was almost exclusively long-sleeved shirts and slacks and workout clothes. He left all of the books in their compartments, he would get them out as he needed and the apartment didn't have a big enough room for them all anyway. He would consider expanding a room for them some other time.

Harry yawned and then made up his bed, waving his hands to make the sheets tuck themselves in, and arrange his large pillows at the headrest. A large comforter settled on top. He changed into his pajamas, made sure the door was locked, and turned off the lights. After saying good night to Hedwig, he buried himself in his bed. If he was lucky, he would fall asleep quickly. But it was not to be.

After only thirty minutes of laying in the large bed, he knew that he wouldn't fall asleep anytime soon. He knew it was time to rest, but his body didn't. It didn't trust his new country yet, he doubted it would anytime soon. He needed to be ready for anything, because at this point he couldn't rule out anything that  _couldn't_  happen.

He got up and walked to the living room. He had two windows that were the focus of the back wall. The neighborhood was blurred from his light's glare; he couldn't make out many details.

He fiddled with the latch and soon had one sliding open. The crisp night air hit him like a brick. He didn't think it would get this cold at night, but it was still the tail end of winter. He climbed out of the gap and started to maneuver himself up to the roof. His bare feet cringed away from the metal pipe he shimmied up, he ignored the impulse to stop. His breath was as clear as a patronus' mist, and just as distracting.

Harry finally settled down on the apex of the smooth, tiled roof. He cast a warming charm, it was much colder in the middle of the night than it was when he arrived. A smooth layer of clouds blanketed the night sky, the only light came from the abundance of street lights that pocketed the neighborhood. They glowed like lanterns, and Tokyo shone like a beacon on the horizon.

It started to snow, but it wasn't quite cold enough for it to stick to the ground. He wouldn't be surprised if this was the last snowfall of the season.

This was it; his chance for a new beginning. His chance to get away from the violence, the fame, the deceit. He didn't want to be used again, he'd keep everyone at a distance if he had to. He might be able to make some friends here, but nothing more. Not yet, his scars were still too fresh.

He couldn't help but hope though, as he lost himself in the deathly quiet, snowflakes gently wandering across his vision. Each of their paths was uncertain, changing with the whims of the night's breeze. He couldn't predict where they would land, no matter how closely he tracked each one. He wished he was like a snowflake, not knowing his destination but being content no matter where he settled.

Harry carefully crawled down the roof and back inside. If he was a snowflake, then he couldn't help but wonder if he had already landed on the ground, or if he was just in a lull before a breeze.

* * *

A/N: Hello everyone, welcome to my story! I hope you enjoy the ride. So far I have about 25k words done / four chapters, and I'll be updating weekly. Any and all constructive criticism is welcome, help me be a better writer!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Ouron High School Host club.

* * *

 

Chapter Two

_Across the rubble of Diagon Alley, several Death Eaters fired blasting curses at Harry and Sirius. His magic was weak, he couldn't fight for much longer. He had already spent most of it in a duel with Tom. His cutting curse sliced open one of their necks, blood splattered onto the bricks. A gout of fire rushed towards him, and-_

"Get up, it's time to train!" Moody's voice bellowed in his ear, replacing the screams from his dream. Harry shook off the cold sweat that clung to his body and sprung out of bed, wand in hand ready to deflect his trainer's spells. He scanned the dark room for the man, only to see a small red envelope buzzing around the room, shouting Moody's words again and again.

Harry's shoulders slumped and he silenced the howler. It packed itself away and flew off to hide somewhere else in the apartment. Dumbledore wasn't kidding about getting him back into a routine. A quick tempus charm showed him that it was before 6 AM. Looking out his window, he saw that the sun was only just beginning to rise. He considered lying awake in bed for a few more hours, but there would probably be a worse surprise for him if he did.

He mechanically got dressed in a tracksuit and put on his running shoes. Hedwig was still sleeping on her perch, even after his noisy wake-up. He dressed quietly so he wouldn't wake her. He glanced at the phone, keys, and credit card on the table. Masako had mentioned not to leave the apartment without all three, so he threw them in his pockets.

He stopped at his closed door. What if there were reporters hiding in the neighborhood, just waiting for him to come out? What if Japan's ministry was compromised, and his position was leaked to the remnants of Tom's followers? He shrunk back, hands trembling. It didn't even have to be a worst-case scenario, all it took was one person to recognize him to ruin this. Maybe he didn't really need to go on the run after all.

Harry raised his hands and slapped both of his cheeks. He could do this, it was just a run through the neighborhood. There wouldn't be anyone out there this early on a Sunday anyway. He threw open the door and stepped out to meet the brisk morning air.

He locked his door behind him and leaned on the railing in front of him, and let out the heavy breath he'd been holding. Not a soul could be seen, all the houses in front of him were at peace, their residents still sleeping in their beds. He missed his bed. He walked to the end of the walkway and down the stairs. When he reached the ground, he started to jog down the street. He hadn't run in a while, and didn't want to overdo it right away.

At a mile or so, he picked up the pace and concentrated on his breathing. Buildings passed by in a blur as the running lulled him into a trance. He passed the market that Masako mentioned, and then started cutting back and forth down each street. This way he got his run in while familiarizing himself with the neighborhood, which would hopefully help him feel more comfortable in it.

After an hour, he noticed people started to wake up and go about their day. A few people waved at him as he ran by. He urged himself to go faster. He kept his head down and sprinted the two miles back to his apartment. When he made it back he gasped in as much oxygen as he could and hurried up the stairs and down the walkway. A door opened in front of him and he ran into the girl that stepped outside.

Harry yelped in surprise. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" He bent down to help her up. She had long brown hair and was a few inches shorter than him. She brushed off her plain clothes and looked herself over, not finding any damage.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it," she said. He nodded and started to walk past her, but she stopped him with a touch on his arm. "Wait, who are you? I haven't seen you around the neighborhood before."

He forced himself to smile and not to shrivel under her sharp gaze. "I'm Evans Harry, I moved into the unit next to yours yesterday. It's nice to meet you."

She smiled at him, and he began to relax now that he saw that she wasn't angry. "It's nice to meet you too, I'm Fujioka Haruhi. Where are you from? I can tell from your accent that you're foreign."

"England," he replied. "Is it that bad?"

"Oh no, not at all!" she interjected. "You seem to know the language very well, but aren't comfortable speaking it yet. How old are you, and are your parents around? I'd love to meet them as well."

"Sorry, my parents died when I was a baby. I'm fifteen and was recently emancipated. I'm living by myself."

"Oh," her eyes glistened. "I lost my mother when I was young too." There was an awkward pause, this was too serious a conversation for an introduction, Haruhi seemed to notice it too and put a small smile back on her face. "I just turned sixteen and live here with my father. Will I be seeing you at school?"

"Ah, no. I'm done with school. I'll be doing some work every now and then though," he replied.

"That's pretty cool," Haruhi said. "I'm about to go to the market, do you want to come with?"

Inwardly Harry cringed. He didn't want to face strangers again, it was bad enough on his run. "Thanks, but I'm ok. I should probably go get cleaned up," he gestured to his sweaty outfit.

Haruhi's eyes widened, having realized she had been holding him up. "Right, of course. I'll see you around Hari-kun!" she walked around him with her bags and down the stairs.

"You too!" he called after her. So far no one from Japan had pronounced his name right, maybe he should get used to being Hari. He walked the last few feet to his apartment, went inside, and slumped down against the door. He breathed in and out slowly to try and relax. The run was more stressful than he thought it would be, he might not be ready to go out on his own quite yet. At least when he was with someone he could try to hide it.

Hedwig fluttered into the room. "Morning," he called out. She hooted at him, and gestured towards his trunk with a heavy stare. He cringed and walked over to it, pulling out the appetite potion Dumbledore wanted him to take every morning. He sighed and downed it in one gulp, it tasted like vomit. He went to the kitchen and drank some water to try and get rid of the taste, and then sat on the floor and stretched. After a while the potion started to kick in, and for the first time since he came to Japan he felt hungry.

He made bacon for Hedwig, but he also had toast and eggs. He wondered what Japanese breakfasts were like, he'd have to look it up later.

He really did, and his sweat had dried on his skin making him feel dirty. It was time for a shower. He went to the bathroom and peeled off his clothes. He fogged up the mirror with a short blast of steam, he didn't want to see himself.

The shower was a little smaller than he was used to, but the water was hot and that's all that mattered. When he finished drying off and put on clean clothes, Hedwig handed him a pre-written list of things to do. He scowled at Dumbledore's handwriting, he didn't need orders any more. But it was still early, and if he didn't do anything he would just end up in bed again.

First up was warding the apartment. He couldn't believe he didn't do that before he went to bed. He summoned the brush and ink from his trunk, and with a careful but confident hand he drew the runes for a sensor grid and anti-intruder protection onto his walls. Permanent wards required the runes to be carved into a wardstone, but he was only renting so ink would do the trick. Then he took out his wand and weaved the spells into the air, and bound them to his designs. He'd be alerted if someone arrived, and any undesirable muggles would be kept out while he was gone. It should be subtle enough to not be noticed by other wizards too.

Next up was to 'read a book from his library on a topic of interest'. Did that really have to be on there? He probably would have done that on his own before too long. He didn't have much else to do anyway, and thousands of books in his library he hadn't read.

Since he finished the book on warding before he left England, Harry needed to find a new subject. He had satisfied all his curiosity on the topic for now. He rifled in his trunk, constantly rotating compartments, until he found something that grabbed his interest: enchanting. He only knew about it in theory, there was no need for him to focus on it while preparing for the war. If nothing else he hoped it would be interesting; working a spell into the core of an object was somewhat similar to casting a permanent ward after all.

Harry grabbed the book and looked over his apartment for a place to sit. He didn't have any particularly comfy chairs like at Grimmauld Place yet. He conjured a large lounge chair into his living room and burrowed into the cushions. He was soon drowning in the words the book contained.

In the early afternoon he stood up and stretched. Enchanting was just as captivating as he hoped, and the language wasn't dry either. It would be fun to try and apply the concepts he learned make trinkets later. The book made him realize that many of the Weasley twins' pranks must have been made with enchanting, as well as the waterbreather Fleur used in the Black Lake.

Harry had gotten to know the older girl well during the Triwizard Tournament. They had studied together often and helped each other prepare for the tasks. They kept in touch after she graduated, even with the war. He would have to remember to send her a letter later to see how she was doing on her world tour.

"Oh Hedwig, I forgot to tell you something earlier," he called out. The bird looked at him from across the room. "I met one of our neighbors when I was coming back from my run. She seemed nice."

Hedwig screeched and flew into his lap.  _Tell me everything_ , her eyes said.

"Well, her name's Haruhi," Harry said, amused at his owl. "She's a student, and just turned sixteen. She lives with her father. We would have been in the same class back at Hogwarts." Harry flushed, and looked away from his owl. "I actually met her by running into her and knocking her to the ground when she came out of her apartment."

She barked in outrage and nipped his finger. "Sorry, I know! Of course I apologized." Hedwig still glared at him. "What else should I have done?" he snapped back.

Hedwig flew out of his lap, circled the kitchen, and landed on the oven. Harry groaned. "I don't need to bake anything for her!"

Hedwig screeched again. "Don't give me that, I know you just want to steal the scraps!" he shouted. Hedwig nodded, unashamed.

Harry huffed and walked into the kitchen. "Fine, if it'll make you happy," he said, crossing his arms. "But it's going to be something extra sweet, I want something other than sugar cubes."

He looked over the ingredients in the cupboards. He thought yesterday that he had enough to make anything from scratch, but the reality was a bit more limiting. There was really only the basics, but it was enough to make a cake with frosting. He'd done more with less at the Dursleys', it was the only useful skill he'd gotten from them.

He made enough batter for two cakes, one for the Fujioka's and one for him. When he was done he conjured two cake tins and put them in the oven. He really needed to go shopping for kitchen supplies. While he waited for the cake to bake he started making the icing. He rummaged in the refrigerator for something else to add, plain vanilla cake with vanilla icing was a little bland. He found some strawberries in one of the drawers along with some other fruit. He pulverized some of the strawberries and mixed it into the icing, turning it pink. Strawberry cake it was.

When the cakes finished baking and cooling, he heated up the icing until it was fluid and poured it over the cakes, making it a glaze. Then he topped them off with some chopped strawberries he had left over, and put them in the fridge to cool.

It would be a while until they were done, so he sat down at his table and wrote his letter to Fleur. As an afterthought, he added his new phone number to the bottom of the letter. He wasn't sure if she had a phone or not, but if she did it would be an easier way to talk than making Hedwig fly halfway around the world. He sent Hedwig off with it when he was done, and promised to deliver the cakes while she was gone.

The cakes were done when the sun was about to set. He was proud of how they turned out, nice and fluffy with a clean, swirly glaze and strawberries on top. Hopefully they tasted as good as they looked. He put one on his biggest plate and walked over to Haruhi's apartment.

He stopped outside their door. This was going to be so awkward, he couldn't believe he let Hedwig convince him to do this. They are just going to think he is weird for doing something like this over an accident. He did promise Hedwig he would deliver the cake though. He raised his hand and nervously knocked on the door. The soft raps echoed in his ears, and then he waited.

After a few moments a woman answered the door. He thought Haruhi lived with her father? "Hello, can I help you?" she asked, looking him up and down.

He coughed to clear his throat. "Hi, I'm Harry, I moved into the building yesterday. Umm, is Haruhi here? I knocked her over when I ran into her this morning and made this cake to apologize." Her eyes hardened and he shifted under her gaze, and then her face suddenly brightened with a smile.

"Oh that's right, Haruhi was telling me about you earlier today. I'm her father Ranka. Aren't you just the cutest thing!" she gushed, dragging him inside. Wait, this woman was her father? He wasn't aware muggles had anything like Polyjuice potion. "Haruhi, take a break from studying and come out, we have a guest!" she called out.

Harry stood awkwardly in their living room, holding the cake, when Haruhi came out. "Hi Hari-san," she said. "What are you doing over?"

He presented his cake. "I made this for you, to apologize again for earlier."

She smiled at him. "That's sweet, thank you. Sit down and I'll make some tea and get some plates. It looks wonderful even if it's unnecessary, the fall wasn't that big a deal. "

"Well, Hedwig insisted on it," Harry said.

Haruhi gave a curious tilt to her head. "I thought you said you lived alone?"

"Sorry, I do. Hedwig's my owl," Harry replied.

"I see, I'll have to meet her sometime," Haruhi said with amusement, and headed into the kitchen. Meanwhile, Ranka picked up her purse and started to leave the apartment.

"I need to head to work, but it was good to meet you Hari-chan! Save me a piece for when I get back Haruhi! Don't do anything I wouldn't!" Then she left the apartment, leaving him and Haruhi alone. A soft bang came from the kitchen.

Harry set the cake down on the low table, and sat down on one of the mats. He fidgeted and looked around the room, waiting for Haruhi to return. The layout was identical to his apartment, but it had a homey feel from years of use. His own apartment didn't feel that welcoming yet. None of his past did, now that he thought about it.

Haruhi came back in, carrying a tea set and plates. She poured him a cup, and then knelt down on her own mat. "Thank you for the food," she said and gave a bow towards him.

"Ahh, you too," Harry waited a moment, then bowed back. "Why did you say that and bow just then?" he asked while she cut the cake.

Haruhi shrugged. "Tradition I guess, it's polite to say it before the meal. The cake looks delicious by the way. For someone who knows the language so well you don't know much about our culture do you?" Haruhi laughed. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll acclimate eventually."

"Thanks, hopefully it tastes as good as it looks," he softly laughed back. "And I've only been in the country for a day! Cut me a little slack."

"Ah, I guess you can have a little." She handed him a slice and got one for herself. Harry put a piece on his fork put it in his mouth. He closed his eyes and ate it slowly, savoring the sweet and fruity taste. "Wow, you're really enjoying that," Haruhi commented, taking him out of his trance. "I can't blame you though, it's delicious."

Harry nodded in agreement, and they finished their cake in companionable silence. The green tea Haruhi made paired with it very well, he felt very satisfied after that snack. It was actually the first time he had green tea, he would have to drink it more often instead of Earl Grey. He wondered how it tasted with a lot more sugar. He brought himself back to the girl sitting across from him, he needed to remember to make conversation.

"So Haruhi, where does Ranka work?" he asked.

"A tranny bar, so he'll be out pretty late," she answered. He? So Ranka  _was_  her father. Harry didn't know what a tranny bar was, but didn't ask her to clarify.

"That's interesting," he replied. "So you're pretty studious? Ranka said you were studying when I got here."

"Yeah," Haruhi said. "I want to be a lawyer like my mom, so I need to get into the best high school I can. I'm studying for the scholarship exam of the best school in the country, normally you can only get in if you're rich."

"It must be a hard test then, I hope you do well on it."

"Thanks, it's hard to study around here though. My father means well, but he likes to interrupt me when he thinks I'm working too hard. If you hadn't come over when you did, I'm sure he would have made me stop when he left for work."

"I see," Harry said. "Well if it ever gets too hectic around here, your welcome to study at my place."

Haruhi smiled. "Thanks, I might have to take you up on that soon."

Harry smiled back and looked down into his lap. There was a lull in the conversation, and he wasn't sure what to say anymore. He didn't have many experiences he could use to relate with Haruhi, unless it turned out she was also a wizard who had fought in a war.

"You're not great at talking, are you Hari-kun?"

He looked up from his musing to see Haruhi staring intently at him. "Sorry, I guess not."

"Don't worry about it," Haruhi replied. "I can tell you mean well, even if you don't know what to say." Her smile glowed, if he didn't know better he would have thought she was using a spell.

Harry felt his heart swell at Haruhi's words. Those simple words made him feel accepted, like he still had a chance at being normal. He knew it was too late for that to happen, but Haruhi made him feel like it didn't matter. He returned her smile with his own.

They easily made conversation for the next few hours around her table, talking about their likes, dislikes, and dreams for the future. He contributed as well as he could. She gave him a crash course on Japanese etiquette and a few topics to look up on the computer so he could try to find what movies and music he liked. Haruhi took all his mediacore responses in stride and kept the conversion flowing. It was the nicest conversation he'd ever had with someone his age. Somehow she managed to coax out his fear of crowds and leaving the apartment, but she made him feel better by telling him about her fear of thunder. They ate all of the cake except the piece Haruhi saved for Ranka, and drank another pot of tea.

He looked out the window and realized that it was well past nighttime. Haruhi yawned, which soon made him yawn as well. "Sorry Hari, I think it's about time for me to go to bed," she said.

"Me too, sorry for keeping you up," Harry said.

Haruhi shrugged. "It was fun, and a good distraction from studying. I do go overboard sometimes, we'll have to do it again sometime."

"Well, you know where I live if you ever want to come over and talk," he joked.

She laughed. "True. I have school during the day, but I'll stop by in the afternoon sometime. I still need to meet Hedwig."

"I'm sure you'll get along famously," Harry said. Haruhi showed him to the door, and they said goodnight.

The night air was refreshing, Harry went into his own apartment with a satisfied smile on his face. That had gone better than he could have hoped. It looked like he had made his first friend in Japan. His apartment felt a little empty without Hedwig. The homey atmosphere of the Fujioka's made him feel dissatisfied with his place, he would have to work on making it feel more like home over the next week.

He started getting ready for bed. If he had to he could have stayed up indefinitely, but one of the perks of moving here was that he would never have to do that again. After he finished up in the bathroom table, he found Dumbledore's list on the table and read the last item.

 _Try to have fun_.

Before today he wouldn't have thought he could do it, he hadn't had many opportunities for fun in his life. But now he felt like he had a chance.

* * *

 

The next morning Harry was once again awoken by Moody's howler. He didn't have an alarm clock yet so he suppressed the urge to blast it out of the air, but it was a close call. Just like the day before, he went on a run before the sun was up. His legs were a little sore from not running lately, yesterday was his first run in a while, but he knew that would pass. He started with a faster pace so that he could cover more ground before other people left their homes and made him want to get back to his apartment.

He was done before anyone else started their day, he felt better not having to rush. It made the run much more relaxing. He took his potion and ate some breakfast. When he was done, the cell phone in his pocket beeped with a message. It was from Agent Masako, would be over in a half hour to take him to the magical district.

Harry shuddered at having to go out again, and so soon after his run too, but he didn't have the nerve to ask her to cancel the trip. He quickly took a shower and got dressed in his typical button up shirt and slacks. Then he waited on the tatami mat for her to arrive, the chair from yesterday had already disappeared. He needed to get some Western seating in his apartment. He was sure it would be more comfortable than sitting on the floor all the time.

Before long Masako arrived and let herself into his apartment. He ignored the ding of the alert ward he set up the day before. "Morning Hari-kun, I come bearing gifts!" she strolled in and set a bag on the table.

"Morning, Masako-san," he replied. Haruhi had taught him on the proper usage of suffixes in the Japanese language, which had not been covered in the potion. Maybe he should invest in a grammar textbook.

"You're talking much better!" she said. "Good job, did you head out and talk with someone? Albus-san mentioned he had a plan to get you to leave."

That meddlesome old man was a gossip too, he should have suspected he would spread things around from his own conversations with him.

"Well, I did go on the run, but Hedwig was actually the one to make me go meet my neighbors."

"Wow, very good," she said as if it were an accomplishment. "Thank you Hedwig!" Harry tried not to pout, if she hadn't talked to the headmaster, she wouldn't have made a big deal about it in the first place.

"So what's in the bag?" Harry finally asked.

"Just a little something to make the day easier for you, as well as a little pick me up!" Masako pulled out some fabric and a thermos. The fabric turned out to be a sharp black cloak with a green trim. "The hood is enchanted to conceal your identity, that way you won't have to worry about anyone recognizing you!" That was… actually a great idea. He already felt better about going out. "Not to mention the green trim matches your eyes, it's going to look so cute on you!" she squealed. "And I have your favorite Earl Grey tea in the thermos."

Harry tried not to facepalm. On one hand Masako was being really caring and helpful, but she was also using the opportunity to use him as a dress up doll. He settled for an awkward smile. "Thanks, I think it'll help. I feel little better already." At least he would have tea.

"Great! Put it on and we can get going, I'm Apparating us there.".

Harry took the cloak from her and clasped it around his neck. The soft fabric draped over his shoulders and fell down to the floor before it automatically adjusted and settled above his feet. Even he had to admit he looked good in it.

"Ok, I'm ready," he said, holding out his hand. Masako took it, and then he felt his body being warped in space-time. They reappeared in an alley surrounded by wooden Japanese buildings with sloping roofs made of tile. Masako kept hold of his hand and steadied him when he nearly fell to the ground upon landing.

"Magical transportation doesn't agree with you, does it?" she teased.

"Yeah," Harry gasped out. He still felt queasy from the portal. He had too much magical power for smooth Apparation, it tended to destabilize the portal and give rougher rides. Dumbledore had the same problem, that's why he always used Fawkes instead. The magical bird had fine-tuned the process to make it a smooth trip no matter who he brought with.

"Go ahead and put your hood up now," Masako said, leading him out of the alley. "We are in Kyoto, a city to the west and the former capital of non-magical Japan, but it is still the central hub for magicals. The magical entrance is just up ahead."

He his head under the hood so the magic would shade his face. As they walked through the city, he had to be careful not to knock it back as he craned his neck to ogle the buildings. The architecture was very beautiful, it felt rustic while also working to include modern day commodities.

"As I mentioned yesterday, we are more integrated with the non-magicals than you are used to in England," Masako said. "Our government isn't separate like yours, it's just another department. All magicals are subject to the same laws as the rest of the populace, plus more. Our children even go to normal schools. And of course our economies are quite different as well; most of the European magical communities are self-sufficient and closed off. Meanwhile, Japan's economy relies on exporting our innovations to the greater magical communities of the world." Harry nodded along to her lecture. He doubted he would he would participate too much in the economy, but it was still good to know.

They turned down a forested path and came upon an ancient wooden arch that led into a shrine. "Here's the entrance to the magical district, it functions similarly to the platform for the Hogwarts Express. The entire district is actually located inside a pocket dimension, just like wizard tents." And then they stepped through.

Harry looked out at Japan's magical district and felt like he had entered another world. While Kyoto had given off a rustic vibe, here he felt like he had gone a few hundred years into the past. Large trees were seamlessly integrated into a labyrinth of tiered castles and homes. They walked on a small stone bridge to cross a stream that snaked its way into the metropolis. While it was cold outside, the pocket dimension was comfortable and sunny. It was indisputably a magical community.

He nearly bounced in his shoes as they walked through the district, it was hard to stop himself from running off an exploring. He contained himself to Masako's side and gawked at the beautiful homes they walked by with the comfort that no one could see his face.

It was hard not to stop and admire all the interesting things in the windows when they reached the shopping centre. He probably looked like such a tourist, but he didn't care. He wanted to find out what other cool gadgets their magicals were able to make with technology, and kinds of enchantments they made. Even their clothing stores looked elegant and enticing, and he never liked shopping for clothes. He hadn't felt like this since the first time he entered Diagon Alley.

They stopped in a plaza with a park at its center. Even on a Monday morning it was pretty crowded, he dreaded to think what it must be like on the weekends. There were a lot of families eating breakfast on blankets in the grass, and adults in pairs and small groups moving around the shops. A gigantic tree towered in the middle of it all, reaching hundreds of feet into the sky.

"Hey, Masako-chan!" a voice called out from the park. A woman wearing a pink kimono ran towards them.

"Ohayo, Sumiya-chan!" Masako said when she arrived, and then they began a fast conversation in Japanese. He recognized a few words and phrases but still couldn't keep up. He stood off to the side and waited for them to finish, but after a few minutes he started to grow bored. He wanted to go look at the shops in the plaza. He drank a large drought of his tea and savored its flavor to help pass the time.

"And who's this mysterious figure with you, Masako-chan?" the woman asked, bringing Harry's attention back to the pair. She peered into his hood, it was difficult to keep himself from cringing away even though he knew she couldn't see past the enchantment.

"Stop that Sumiya-chan," Masako slapped the woman's arm. "This is Hari-kun, my new charge. It's his first time seeing the magical district, but he's a little shy so I got him the enchanted hood."

Sumiya giggled. "Oh, I see. Konichiwa Hari-chan," she said with a bow. "I want to see under your hood even more now though, I'm sure you must be a cutie."

Harry flushed, he was not cute. "Konichiwa, Sumiya-san," he bowed.

"Yes, Hari-kun is adorable. Unfortunately, I am the only one blessed enough behold it," Masako said dramatically, clasping her hands to her chest. Sumiya pouted and crossed her arms. "Sorry for the delay Hari-kun," she continued. "She's my old boss and I unfortunately I still can't stop her from distracting me on the job. I'm sure our catching up isn't interesting to you, you can go explore the shops if you want. Try to stay in the plaza though."

Harry agreed, and quickly abandoned the pair. Masako's friend was just as weird as she was, and now he was free to explore. He noticed that she cast a tracking charm on his cloak as he left, but he allowed it to pass. It would make it easier for the agent to catch up with him when she was done.

He spent a lot of time looking at the wares in each window. He didn't enter any of the shops, but that changed when he found a bookstore farther down. He eagerly began perusing the shelves for any subjects that interested him. He wanted to know the different perspectives on magic the Japanese had. He ended up picking out books on enchanting, warding, spell-crafting, and broader magical theory. When he found the section on magical technology, apparently called technomancy, he added dozens of books on it to the stack floating behind him.

He paid for the books up front with his Gringots card, and his purchases were loaded into a shrunken package he could unpack back at the apartment. He put it in his pocket, and went back to wandering around the plaza. He soon found a charming café that had delicious looking cake. His shopping had given him a craving for sugar, so he ordered a large slice of the chocolate cake with elegant flowers made out of frosting. He went outside and into the park and found a nice spot under a tree to eat it and drink his tea.

He savored the delicious cake as well as the friendly atmosphere of the park, relaxing in the cloak's anonymity. He was glad to enjoy the park without worrying about anyone recognizing or attacking him. There were several other people wearing similar garments, and no one gave them strange looks for it.

So of course something had to ruin it.

A scream tore through the park, making Harry jump and pull out his wand. He set his cake aside and stood up to search for the cause of the disturbance. A gust of wind ripped through the trees and almost knocked back his hood. A massive white blur circled through the central tree's branches before landing in front of a family. A vaguely canine beast bared its teeth at the children and growled. The parents were paralyzed with shock behind them.

The beast's jaws lunged towards a little girl, who screamed.

"Prohibere tempus!" Harry cast. Immediately the world stood still, the beast's jaws frozen inches away from the girl.

He walked towards the group. The beast was even larger up close, about the size of a dragon and covered in thick white fur. If anything it most closely resembled a wolf. Its claws were the size of Harry's forearms, and its head was twice as large as his body. Red markings made an elegant pattern along its face and fur, and its long tail wisped behind it like lingering smoke, still moving in spite of time being frozen.

He picked up the frozen girl and set her down behind her parents. The beast's red eyes followed his actions. "Why are you interfering with justice, mage?" a deep voice rumbled from its throat.

Harry looked back at the creature. It must be powerful since it managed to talk within his spell, not to mention being able to talk. There were very few magical creatures who could use human speech. He walked in front of its large maw, placing himself between it and the family. "I'm not aware of any kind of justice that involves attacking a little girl," he said.

"A price must be paid," the beast said. "As the mother has stolen from mine, I must now steal from her."

"Perhaps," Harry narrowed his eyes. "But is it really necessary to make an innocent child pay the price?"

The beast snorted, making his cloak rustle. "What does it matter to you, how strangers face the consequences of angering the spirits?"

He shrugged, and looked directly into its golden eyes that were bigger than his head. "I've never really been the type to stand by and watch others be hurt." An immense presence forced itself against his occlumency shield, which barely held strong. He gritted his teeth and flared his magic, strengthening his mind. And the beast began its assault on his mind.

For what felt like hours the beast bashed against his protections, before abruptly ceasing.

"You are a funny ningen," it finally said, and then made a coughing sound deep in its throat that Harry could only assume was a laugh. The noise echoed throughout the park like thunder, cutting through the silence of his spell. "Fine, I will not take my former price, but tell the Mother that if she does not return what she stole within a week I will come for her instead. Now release me."

Harry gazed a little longer into the beast's eyes and decided that it was telling the truth. If it wasn't, he could just cast the spell again, or resort to something more violent. He'd rather not though. He held his wand up between them and spoke. "Initium tempus."

The screams of the family restarted while he and the beast looked on. The beast's tail snaked around their small group and twitched in irritation. Harry repeated the beast's deal to the family, which the woman frantically agreed to while she clutched her daughter to her chest, who still looked frozen. New presences apparated into their cleaning, revealing Japanese wizards in ceremonial robes.

"It might be time for you to take your leave," Harry said.

"Perhaps," the beast's voice rumbled out. It stretched, leaning over Harry and the family. It blew a gust of its warm breath out of its mouth and guided it toward them, knocking the family to the ground and pushing back Harry's hood. It smelt like the Forbidden Forest, of nature and ancient power. Then it launched itself into the air and flew around the thick branches. It disappeared into the wind above the tree.

A small crowd had gathered, consisting of the Japanese wizards with strange robes and random bystanders. They kept a distance around the clearing and were gaping at the scene that just ended. Many pointed and gestured towards him, one of the Japanese wizards stopped a colleague from approaching. Maybe they were aurors? Harry quickly pulled his hood back over his face.

"Hari-kun, Hari-kun!" Masako pushed her way through the crowd and ran towards him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just tired," he replied. The encounter inside his spell only took a few minutes, but sustaining it for that long was draining on his magical reserves, even ones of his magnitude. "You might want someone to check the family though, I think the daughter is going into shock."

"Right, right, of course," Masako said, catching her breath. Then she shouted at the wizards in robes to get the family help, and left to yell at the one in charge. Harry summoned over his thermos and cake, and ate the rest of it while he waited. He refused the blanket a witch offered him. He wasn't in any danger of going into shock, he had faced situations much worse than this.

The crowd kept building, and soon he saw reporters among them. His hands itched to blast them away, so he kept them busy by holding onto the thermos. On second thought the blanket would have been nice, but he didn't want to appear weak in front of so many people. He kept himself busy by concentrating on his breathing, and shutting out stares and murmurs of the crowd.

It took a few more minutes for Masako to finish her conversation and come back over to him. "Alright, we can leave. I convinced them to let me debrief you back at your apartment instead of the office."

"Oh, thanks," his voice cracked. He moved his chest up and down and took deep breaths, but it was still difficult to take in air. The crowd was too big. Any minute now someone would fire a spell out at him, and in this state he could barely defend himself. He frantically scanned the crowd left to right, and back again. A camera flash went off and he flinched.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked. He quickly nodded and took her hand again. Within seconds they were back at his apartment.

Harry settled down on a mat and began to calm down now that he was away from the crowd. He took a drink of tea and threw back the hood of his cloak, but still kept it on. The fabric pooled on the floor beneath him and wrapped around him in a soft embrace. Masako sat down across from him.

"What exactly was that thing?" he asked her.

She ran a hand through her now frazzled hair. "I hadn't gotten the chance to mention this yet, but in Japan the spirits are much more active than in most other countries, though I suppose the Americas are comparable." She lightly tapped the table between them, Harry waited for her to collect her words. It looked like he was getting another lecture.

"Historically our magicals had the job of keeping the peace between the spirits and humans. Now we have a department dedicated to the task, that's who the wizards in the robes were. But if someone angers the spirits enough, they'll take action themselves instead of waiting for the department to dole out its own punishment. In this case if the spirit had not intervened, the theft would have probably gone unknown for generations."

He scrunched his brow. "Are they magical creatures?"

"No," Masako responded, "they are highly intelligent, and even have their own world connected to ours. Some theorize that they come from another dimension or are extra-dimensional creatures. They can usually only be stopped by trained professionals when they are enraged like the spirit in the plaza. Can you tell me exactly what happened? From what the bystanders said, you just appeared in front of spirit and then it left."

Harry told her about how the beast arrived, and the spell he used to stop it from attacking the girl. Masako's face paled when he mentioned it, she must have been aware of how dangerous space-time spells were. Then, in the clinical-tone he used when reporting to Dumbledore back in the war, he told her word-for-word the conversation he had with the spirit.

Masako pinched the bridge of her nose when he was done in an attempt to stave off a headache. She waved him off when he tried to help, so he left to make some tea. She gulped down a cup of it when he returned, even though it was hot.

"It sounds like the only reason it stopped attacking the family was because it found you more interesting," she said. "There's a higher chance that you'll have more interactions with spirits in the future now, once this one gossips about the 'interesting' human he found. I'm sure that it blew back your hood specifically to learn your appearance, and because it knew you didn't want to show your face."

He might have to learn Japanese wards sooner than he thought. "Is more interaction with spirits a bad thing?"

"Not always, but they are usually dangerous, and I know that you moved here to avoid that."

Harry shrugged. "I'm sure danger would have found me one way or another eventually."

She huffed out in annoyance. "Maybe, but it's my job to make it harder for it to find you. And now I'm also going to have to keep away the exorcists that want to recruit you."

He smiled at her. "Well you are doing a good job so far, I saw you yelling at the one in charge back there."

"I'm going to be beating him away for weeks back at the office."

Harry winced. "At least the cloak helped out a lot." This made her smile, and then they began talking about the books he purchased. She was very knowledgeable on the general knowledge of what he was interested in. He would have to ask her for help looking for books in the future, she must have good recommendations.

Masako drank again from her cup. He supposed there was one more question he could ask her now. "Hey Masako," he started, bringing her eyes to his face. "What's a tranny bar?"

The agent choked and sprayed her tea all over the table.

Masako left an hour later after giving Harry a thorough understanding of what exactly a tranny was and convincing him that Ranka wasn't taking any potions, much to his astonishment. He had never encountered anything like it back with the Dursleys. Once she was gone Harry ate the entire cake that he made the day before, he needed to replenish his magic reserves and sugar was just the way to do it.

He spent the rest of the day trying to relax, snuggled into another chair he conjured while reading his new books. He also took some time to try and decipher the computer. He managed to research some music Haruhi mentioned, there was a lot more variety than he thought possible. He would need more than one day to figure out what he liked.

* * *

 

The next day Harry made a short excursion back to the magical district to buy books on spirits. He wanted to know as much as he could about them in case he faced one again anytime soon. Knowing his luck he would need the knowledge sooner rather than later, but he was also interested in another magical race. He knew they were not mere creatures, especially after the one in the plaza tried Legilimency on him. He learned a lot after reading his new books.

A spirit could be controlled if one knew their name. Their names were not simply a word, but also represented the essence of their being. It could only be truly known if the spirit wrote it down, which added an abstract component unknown to humans. The closest thing Harry could compare it to was being so familiar with a spell to cast it wandlessly with barely a thought.

In the afternoon Haruhi came over to his apartment to study since her father was bugging her at home. Her test was the upcoming weekend, so she was studying non-stop now. He made them tea, and glamoured his spellbooks so he could read alongside her. She thought they were just fantasy books. He would have to get a physical copy of the chair he had conjured earlier too since she saw it, but that was ok. It was a really comfy chair.

And so Harry settled into his life in Japan. He slowly converted his apartment into a home, filling it with comfortable furniture so he always had a nice place to read. He bought lots of colorful, fluffy pillows and blankets that were strewn haphazardly around the rooms. Hedwig loved burrowing into the blankets with him. He also stocked his kitchen with all the baking supplies he would ever need. He started baking nearly every day, using it as a release for when nightmares kept him awake at night. He frequently shared the treats with the Fujioka's and he soon got to know Ranka well too. He liked the man, but he was very eccentric.

Masako started showing up regularly at his apartment to eat his treats and give him assignments. They hardly ever took him more than a few days, and usually consisted of analyzing a ward scheme or developing a counter-curse based on a magical signature. Sometimes they were more interesting though, and he had to examine his books through the night to find a solution to a time-sensitive problem. He rarely needed to go on site to help handle a problem, so the only time he left his apartment consisted of his morning runs and grocery shopping once a week. He knew a spell for laundry, so that wasn't an issue.

Harry found that it was a lot easier to get out of bed in Japan. Even after his nightmares, he usually had a reason to start his day, whether it was because of an assignment or to bake some treats for when Haruhi came over. He started looking forward to his morning runs, and never broke his new routine.

At the end of February Haruhi found out that she made it into Ouron, so he baked a cake to celebrate with her and Ranka. They were both a little worried about how well she would handle it, but were determined to support her.

For the first time since the war ended, he started to relax.

They all had dinner together at the end of March since Haruhi's first day at Ouron was the next morning. Harry cooked a full meal consisting of traditional Japanese food that he had finally learned how to make from a book Haruhi had gifted him.

Harry didn't see her in the days after because Masako brought him a request for a new ward scheme; the client wanted any incoming projectiles sent into a pocket dimension instead of passing through. It ensnared his attention and he stayed awake two nights to finish it. If Haruhi came into his apartment to study during that time, he didn't notice it.

At some point during his research he received a phone call from an unknown number, which was strange because only Masako, Haruhi, Ranka, and Fleur had his number. The person tried to ask him for personal information about Haruhi. He hung up on them just like Haruhi and Masako told him to do when a phone scammer called.

She came to his apartment to study Wednesday night. He was mixing up some cookie batter when he turned around and saw a feminine young man wearing Ouron's light blue uniform, but his eyes looked familiar.

Then he finally recognized her. "Haruhi! What happened to your hair?"

He had to restrain himself from growing it back.

* * *

* * *

A/N: Thanks for all the love for the story so far! I'm posting this a little earlier than I planned because I've made good progress with Chapter 5 and want to reward myself with more of your awesomeness. As always, feel free to leave any criticism on how I can improve as a writer, and let me know what you're thinking.

Also, if you're unfamiliar with Natsume Yuujinchou go look up Madara, that's what the spirit looks like. Minor crossover with that show too I guess.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Harry couldn't sleep. It was four in the morning, he would get up in a few hours anyway, but he had been awake in bed since two.

It had been the same all week, he would manage to doze for a few hours before his mind took a dark turn and jolted him awake. He was about ready to dip into his stock of Dreamless Sleep. His sleep hadn't been this bad since the week after the war ended. With nothing better to do, he threw on a jumpsuit and got ready to run.

The night, it couldn't be called morning yet, was inky. Color only existed under streetlights, and the rare star that fought through the glow of the city. It reminded him of London. He wasn't worried about running in the dark though, he could see just fine, and his bright clothes would ensure that any random driver would see him as well.

He put on his headphones and started running; it had become one of his favorite activities when he started doing it while listening to music. Before it was calming, but only because it was routine. Now it was like meditation as soon as he lost himself in the rhythm. If he didn't need to watch where he was going he could probably practice Occulomency at the same time.

Harry ran. Even after the sky brightened and the sun rose in the sky, he kept going. Maybe if he made himself tired enough he could sleep when he made it back home. But he still had plenty of energy to burn.

Eventually he saw that it was well into the morning and his breath quickened. Not because he was tired, but because he hadn't realized what time it was. Everywhere he looked were people going about their day, running errands or just enjoying the morning.

Someone was staring at him, he could feel it. He was still ten miles from the apartment. The sprint back was the hardest he'd ever ran in his life.

When he rounded the corner before the apartment, he froze. The street was teeming with bystanders, huddled together and staring at his building. Had his location leaked? He couldn't see past the crowd or tell if they were wizards. He walked away and approached from a different direction to see if they were waiting for him, or if it was something else.

Several expensive cars were parked out front and a group of well-dressed teenagers were standing around them. Maybe they were models waiting for a photoshoot to start, though he didn't know why they'd have it around here. Whatever it was, it didn't concern him. Using what little training in stealth he'd received, he crept towards the stairs. He kept his head low, and made as little motion as possible. It was bad enough that so many people were outside his building, he didn't want them staring at him as well.

"What do you think you're doing, sneaking around here?" A pair of voices said on either side of him. Two red-headed twins moved in front of him, with their hands on their hips, stopping him in his tracks.

"Maybe he's a stalker, trying to sneak his way into Haruhi's apartment," the one on the left said. "Just look at him, sweaty and breathless at the thought of seeing her."

"Must not be a very smart one," the one on the right replied. "Who would try to sneak around wearing a bright orange jumpsuit in broad daylight?"

Harry cringed, he had forgotten he was wearing that for his run today. All his other tracksuits were dirty. It was perfectly fine on the run, especially since it was dark when he started, but it wasn't the greatest sneaking.

"I actually live here," he said. "And I was on a run."

"A plausible story," the twins said in unison, "but definitely a lie!" Together they pointed at him, and Harry stepped back. Now everyone was looking at him, maybe he should just leave and Apparate back in.

"Actually, he was telling the truth," a boy in glasses pulled out a clipboard, he had a smooth voice. "This is… Evans Harry: age fifteen, resident of apartment number four. My men have observed him leaving at dawn to run since he moved here in February."

Harry eyed him, a normal high schooler shouldn't have known all of that. The twins were unfazed. The boy gave him a fake smile and held out his hand to shake, "It's nice to finally meet you Evans-san. I'm Ootori Kyoya, I tried to call you a while ago, but the phone connection cut out on us."

Harry ignored his hand. "You're the phone scammer!"

The twins burst out in laughter, clutching their sides, and Kyoya's eyebrow twitched. "Wow, the Shadow King couldn't even fool a commoner, how embarrassing." Harry finally recognized the name, these must be the boys from the Host Club that Haruhi joined.

"Mommy, what are you doing over there?" A tall blond boy strode over to their small group. This was… Suoh-san? "Who's this commoner?" Harry bristled at the boy's tone; regardless of not knowing about his wealth back in England, it was incredibly rude to talk down to someone like that.

"This is Evans-san, Haruhi's neighbor," Kyoya answered. Suoh leaned over Harry and scrutinized his appearance. This was ridiculous, he just wanted to go back to his apartment and shower. He was tired, and probably stank. He was about to throw propriety away and make a break for it.

"Well, does he know where she is? We've been out here for a while."

Harry wasn't even asked directly; he turned away and started to leave. A hand reached out to stop him, but he spun around it. He had no obligation to deal with Haruhi's friends, especially when they were so rude.

A blond child was in his way, with an extremely tall teen standing over his shoulder. Harry halted in his tracks right before they ran into each other, not just so they didn't collide, but because the small figure in front of him was genuinely beautiful. Maybe it was the air of innocence from the stuffed bunny he clutched, or the absence of any scars or imperfections, but when his gaze locked with Honey-senpai's shining brown eyes he was forced to stop.

"Where are you going, please help me find my wayward daughter!" Tamaki-san's voice broke through his reverie, and Harry reluctantly stepped back into the circle. All his exits were blocked, he would have to put an end to the conversation to escape.

"I'm not her keeper, but maybe you could check the store? Haruhi usually goes there for the sales on Sunday," Harry said. Go say you'll check out the store, then he'd be home free.

"She's shopping alone… by herself?" Tamaki shrieked. "We have to go save her! What if she gets mugged, or doesn't have enough money in her threadbare purse to buy enough food? Where is the store!"

Harry winced at the boy's sharp voice, which spawned more exclamations from the other Hosts which he quickly tuned out. Kyoya looked as exasperated as himself. He was never going to make it home.

"What is going on here?" Haruhi's voice cut through the chaos as she walked toward them. She had two shopping bags and wearing a sundress that caused Tamaki and the twins to gape.

"Haruhi, you're okay!" Tamaki ran forward for a hug, but she stopped him with a glare.

"Why are you all here, and what is Hari doing in the middle of you?"

"We've come to see your apartment," one twin said. "Remember, we had a deal!" the other finished.

"Or, you could all leave," Haruhi said. "Look at the commotion you've caused already, and you're bothering Hari! I know he wouldn't be out here if you weren't holding him up."

"But you promised! And why do you care so much about this commoner anyway?" That twin's body was tense, and his eyebrows were pointing inwards. For some reason he didn't like Harry.

"Hari's my best friend, he's like a brother to me. And don't call people that!" Haruhi snapped.

Harry's chest clenched, but he didn't understand why. He and Haruhi were close, but she thought of them as best friends, like a brother? She was the person he was closest to in Japan, they talked just about every day, but he figured she had other friends she was closer to. He felt an urge to hug her, but they were surrounded by the hosts and she probably wouldn't appreciate his sweaty jumpsuit.

"Mommy, do you know what this means?" Tamaki gasped, then grabbed Harry into a hug and swung him around. He didn't struggle, he had to focus on keeping his magic under control from the unexpected touch. "We have a son! Look at how adorable he is, we have to enroll him in Ouron immediately! He can be a host and I'll bestow upon him my wisdom just as a Father should!"

Haruhi pulled him away from Tamaki, rescuing him. "Don't you even think about it!" she said. "He's not your son, and you couldn't enroll him in Ouron anyway. Hari already finished school, and even has a job."

"Kyoya, our son is a genius!" the blond gushed, selectively hearing Haruhi's words. Harry took another step away from him.

"Oh?" Kyoya tapped his pencil on his lips. "I wasn't aware you were working, Harry-san, my men said you hardly ever leave your apartment. Tell me more."

"Umm, I just do a few odd jobs here and there," Harry deflected and stopped himself from hiding behind Haruhi from the teen's intent stare. It wasn't like he could tell him he was a magical consultant for the government.

"So you're a shut-in?" one of the twins asked. "What do you do all day, watch anime? Play MMO's?"

Harry didn't recognize either of those things. "I read. What are those? Are they any fun?"

"No, no, no!" Haruhi threw herself between him and the twins. "Don't give him any more reasons to stay in his apartment! It's hard enough to get him out of it as is!"

She and the twins continued to argue. The attention of the crowd was focused on them all, and pressing down on Harry. He could barely follow the conversation around him. His magic felt like it was about to boil over, and he was afraid it would spill out and expose him, or even worse hurt someone. It surged within him, begging to be used and to protect him from the stares.

He felt something touch his sleeve. It was Honey-senpai's bunny, and the boy was looking up at him with big doe-like eyes; he felt his magic subside to a choppy, albeit calmer, pool within him.

He felt his face flush, the older boy was adorable. "Are you lonely, Hari-chan? You can come play with us whenever you want!"

"I'm fine, but thank you," Harry said, giving him a smile and gently freeing his arm.

One of the twins leered at Harry, making him cringe away. "If you don't let us see your home, I suppose we could show your innocent little brother some other interesting things you can do on the internet."

"Don't you dare!" Haruhi and Tamaki screamed together. She cringed away from the blond after she realized they had said that together, and her shoulders fell. "Fine, you can see my apartment, but only for a few minutes."

The twins cheered, and the group headed up the stairs. Harry continued past them as Haruhi unlocked her door. "Hari-chan, aren't you coming too?" Honey's voice called out.

"No, umm, I've seen her place plenty of times before, and I'm pretty tired from my run. I'm going to go shower and eat," he said. Honey's eyes widened and the boy waved goodbye. Harry waved back. He thought he might have seen a red tint on the boy's cheeks, but it could have just been his dimples.

Harry locked the door of his apartment behind him. From Haruhi's stories, he wouldn't put it past the hosts to try and get in if they got bored. He took an extra long shower to calm himself down, made breakfast, and settled down in front of his computer. He recently discovered internet videos, and he and Hedwig were addicted to watching cute pet videos.

Hedwig flew into his lap as the first started to play. He ignored the loud noises coming from the apartment next door. He was finally home.

* * *

Honey sat at Haruhi's table, enjoying his cake and the lively conversation around him. Hanging out with the hosts was always fun, and this time they got to see what Haruhi's home was like. It was very welcoming, and had a pleasant aroma that he couldn't place, maybe it was a leftover hint of a perfume either of the residents used. It was obvious that Haruhi wanted them to leave though, which was understandable since they came over unannounced. He brought out the arrangement of delectable cakes Kyoya bought so they could stay longer.

But he couldn't focus on the cake.

There was a tree in his family's garden, a magical tree. It had wide, shapely leaves twice as large as his body. He used to spend all day on top of them, hiding under their brims. To this day they were still his favorite place to nap or relax after school.

Harii-chan's eyes were the exact shade of those leaves. It was a shame they were hiding behind glasses.

Takashi gave Haruhi the strawberry cake because they knew that was her favorite fruit, but she didn't seem like she was enjoying it. How could she not like the cake? They were from the cutest bakery a few minutes from school, it was one of his favorite places to go to satisfy his own cravings. He had savored his own piece, he knew hers should have been as good as his. She took another bite and her face made a barely noticeable cringe as she tasted it.

"Haruhi, what's wrong? Don't you like the cake?" he asked.

"I do," she mused. "It's just that Hari ruined most cake for me."

Honey gasped. He couldn't believe the enchanting boy he just met would do something like that. It was a shame, he was cute and moved gracefully, like a dancer. He had wanted to get to know him better, and stare at his eyes some more.

His childlike smile dropped off his face. "What did he do to you Haru-chan?" His control slipped and a little bit of killing intent slipped out, making the other Hosts freeze before he reigned it back in. The room's temperature was two degrees colder. Takashi glared at him and everyone's behavior slowly returned to normal.

"It's not like that at all," Haruhi said. "Hari didn't do anything to me, I don't like many cakes now because his are so much better."

Oh, that must be some good cake then.

He apologetically rubbed the back of his neck, he hated when his friends saw that side of him. "You should have said so sooner, Haru-chan. Sorry I got so angry."

Haruhi let out a deep breath. "Don't worry about it."

"Hmph, did you see the King though? We haven't seen him that afraid since we had to wake you up in the car," Hikaru said.

"I was not afraid!" Tamaki shouted. "I just spotted a mushroom growing in the corner, and wanted to investigate!"

"Yeah right," Kaoru said, then his stomach growled. "I'm starving now though from the adrenalin. Haruhi, do you have anything for lunch?"

Honey pouted and rested his chin on the table. "I really want to try some of Harii-chan's cake now."

Haruhi sighed. "I guess I can make something for us, I'll have to go to the store again though. And we still have some of Hari's cake in the fridge if you want to try it after."

He beamed at her and the rest of the hosts cheered.

After an interesting meeting with Haruhi's father, who traumatized Tamaki, they all left for the store. It was funny how amazed Tamaki and the Twins were with a market, Honey kept watch on them from a shopping cart pushed by Takashi to make sure they didn't get in any trouble.

When they made it back, Haruhi cooked a delicious hotpot that they finished off in no time at all. It was time for what he'd been waiting for all morning: Harii-chan's cake. Haruhi brought it out and started to cut them each a slice.

It didn't look impressive compared to the professionally decorated cakes he normally bought, but he supposed it would be delicious nonetheless. There were three layers of chocolate cake, each separated by plain white frosting that also coated the outside. That's it. All cake was delicious though, despite what Haruhi thinks, so he was sure he would enjoy it no matter what. Harii's cake blew all his expectations away.

He was accurate in his assessment, it was still just a simple chocolate cake with vanilla frosting. He'd had thousands of them before. But this was the best combination of those flavors he'd ever had. It had the perfect amount of chocolate to make him crave more, and just enough vanilla for a sharp, sugary contrast. Each bite melted in his mouth, so fluffy it was like tasting clouds and moist enough for each bite to be as distinct as the first.

And then it was all gone. His empty plate mocked him, he needed more.

The other Hosts were in similar states of bliss as they each finished off their own piece. Honey grabbed the platter from the table and ate the crumbs; it was too good to let any go to waste.

When Kyoya was done, he stood up and walked to the exit. "Mother, where are you going?" Tamaki asked. The twins stared forlornly at Honey's platter, he shifted it away from them.

"It has come to my attention that our son's talents are currently underappreciated," he pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, "so I'm going to do what any doting Mother would do, and make him my personal chef."

The room exploded in a symphony of protests. All of the Hosts wanted him on their staff and were shouting out their reasons why. Even Takashi was poised upright, ready to voice his own argument when the opportunity arose. Honey didn't particularly care where Harii ended up working, as long as he got to eat as much of his delicious cake as he wanted.

"Quiet down!" Haruhi slammed the table to get their attention. The room fell quiet. "Don't even bother trying recruiting him, Hari won't accept any of your offers."

"Why not? I'm sure we could provide enough… incentives to make him want the job," Kaoru said.

"We've tried getting him to bake professionally before, but he's not interested. Hari's happy with his life as it is, and he's also the most stubborn person I've ever met. So save your breath."

Kyoya grunted and sat back down. "I'll ask him to cater for special host club events later anyway, his cake could double the number of our customers."

Honey grinned, it looked like he would get more eventually after all. Everyone bantered for a while longer and waited out the post-cake bliss.

Soon they all left, but it was fun seeing where Haruhi lived. He hoped he'd see Harii again soon.

It was a good day.

* * *

Haruhi walked into his apartment and collapsed into a cushion.

"Are you alright?" Harry set his book down and took a seat next to her. Incoherent mumbles were his only response. He poked her with his foot, "I can't understand you like that."

Haruhi rolled over and released a deep sigh. "Dealing with the Hosts at home is so much more exhausting than at school."

Harry chuckled. "Did you expect anything less? From your stories I didn't I'd be able to get away as easily as I did."

"You got lucky," she huffed. "Today was relatively tame, but this time I had to be responsible for them all." Haruhi off her stomach and sat upright. "Also, they really liked your cake. I had to convince them not to come over here and try to hire you."

Harry fought back a blush. "I'm sure they were just trying to be nice." He knew his cake was good, but not  _that_  good.

Haruhi shook her head. "Nope, you should have seen Honey-senpai's face. I think he might have orgasmed after his third bite."

"Haruhi!" She giggled at his face, he could feel his blush in full bloom, and desperately fought it back down. She loved catching him off guard with perverted comments. Hedwig let out an amused screech from across the room. Everyone was picking on him today.

"Sorry Hari, just kidding, but he definitely enjoyed it the most."

Harry looked away as happiness bubbled in his chest. "Well, I'm glad he did." He was glad the older boy enjoyed his cake but didn't want to show it. He could hear Hedwig laughing at him again from across the room.

Now that he was alone with Haruhi, he remembered her declaration earlier that day and his stomach flipped. She had declared him as family so nonchalantly, he didn't know how to return the gesture, or act around her now.

"Hari, are you alright? You got all quiet." Haruhi leaned towards him, every inch of her face displayed concern. He squirmed under her gaze and took several short breaths through his nose.

"I… I think of you as family too, Haruhi!" he blurted out. He looked down, did he bring it up too abruptly? "I know I've only known you and your Dad for a few months but I've never been as comfortable so fast with anyone else before, and when you said I was like a brother to you this morning I realized I also thought of you as a sister and- "

Haruhi cut him off with a hug. Her arms wrapped around him tightly, he sat stunned for a moment before he hugged her back.

He rested his head on her shoulder and basked in her embrace; this was the longest hug he'd ever gotten.

He didn't understand Haruhi, she melted his shields like butter and made him enjoy it. She was special, and made him feel warm, and he would destroy anything that dared to harm her.

Hedwig burrowed between them, making them laugh and break apart. They settled back down on their cushions, there wasn't anything more to be said on that topic.

"I'm going to go get my bag so I can study here," Haruhi said. "I planned to do my homework this morning, but obviously that didn't happen."

"Sounds good," he replied. "You know, you could always accept my offer to pay off your debt." He'd made it a while ago but she declined, wanting to handle it herself.

"No, but thank you again for the offer. They aren't so bad once you get to know them."

Harry shrugged, Haruhi was as stubborn as he was. There was no point trying to convince her, but he wanted to remind her that it was an option. "I'll see you in a few then, I've got some things to work on as well."

Haruhi ran over to her apartment and came back with her homework. They spent the rest of the day at his table working on their projects. He was trying to make a new way to teleport that wouldn't toss him into the ground, but so far he hadn't had any luck.

That night, for the first time in a while, no nightmares interrupted his sleep.

* * *

After the Host Club meeting later that week, Honey sat at his table and munched on his last cake packed for school. Takashi was staring at him from across the room. He sighed, Haruhi was right. This cake didn't quite sate his craving now that he'd tasted Harii's cake. He hugged Usa-chan to his chest and flopped down on the couch. He couldn't wait for the next time they visited Haruhi.

Takashi finally walked across the room toward him. His cousin picked him up like a doll and systematically inspected each of his limbs. Honey didn't mind, and giggled whenever Takashi hit one of his ticklish spots. He was set back down on the couch.

"You've grown," Takashi's deep voice rumbled. "One inch."

Honey's eyes widened, he sprang from his cousin's hold and ran to a mirror. He couldn't spot any differences, but he trusted Takashi's judgement. He'd spent so much time watching over him that if anyone would notice a change, it would be him.

The corners of his eyes started tearing up. Takashi approached him in his reflection and put a hand on his shoulder.

"The curse," Honey sniffled. "It's broken."

"Ah."

He turned around and pressed his face into Takashi's shirt. His cousin rubbed comforting circles on his back as his body trembled. Finally, after seven years, he could grow again. His body would change. He wouldn't be stuck in a child's body forever; the curse's condition had been satisfied. He had met his soulmate.

Honey blinked. He'd met his soulmate… but when?

He'd always assumed that it would be a momentous occasion when they'd meet, just like in the stories. Sparks would fly and they would declare their love then and there, knowing they would be together forever. But the curse's counter was taken literally, he could have just bumped into his soulmate on the street and not knowing it, satisfying the curse.

He breathed in and out short, rapid scraps of air. His soulmate was somewhere out there in the world, maybe not even in Japan anymore, unprotected. He was oblivious to their connection, and vulnerable without him there. What if they were kidnapped, and sold into slavery? What if they were walking down the street, and attacked by the yakuza? What if –

"Mitsukuni, calm down," Takashi's voice broke through to his ears. Honey stepped out of his arms.

"But I don't even know who it is!" Honey panicked. "They need me! I have to go, I need to search for them, who knows what could happen if I'm not there!"

"Stop and think. You have no leads."

Honey almost smashed his cousin into the ground before his words cut into him. Takashi was right, he had no leads, but he'd met his soulmate before. He just needed to remember.

He smiled at his cousin and raced out of the room. Thankfully none of the other club members noticed anything was amiss. As soon as he found an isolated corner, he apparated to his family's estate. He didn't pay any mind the shockwave that his landing generated and went to the meditation room. Sticks of incense burned in the darkened corners, the potions infused in them were already working to calm him down. He bowed to the painting of his ancestors on the wall, and sat down on the mat in the center of the room.

He'd never presume to say he was the best at meditation, and by extension Occulomency. That position belonged to his grandfather. But he was proficient, all magical Haninozuka practitioners were. The calm it provided was essential to their martial arts, he only hoped it was enough.

He lost himself in the deathly quiet and delved into his mind. He didn't bother searching his memories, he knew that if the meeting hadn't stood out before it wouldn't do so again. He needed to find a more primal, instinctive sign of their connection.

He started with sight. Could he find an image of his soulmate burned into his retina? No, there was too much information there. Too many images, too much noise. Hearing was similar, and he didn't bother with taste or touch. He obviously hadn't tasted his soulmate, and if they had touched Honey would have known. Soulmates' magic reacted when they touched, that was how most found each other.

That left smell.

There were many smells to sort through, but it wasn't nearly as bad as sight. Each smell blended together and he could barely distinguish them, and he didn't even know what he was looking for. He could only hope that one of them popped out and screamed at him. The scent he was looking for should be obvious enough though. There was no way his soulmate smelled anything but wonderful.

He made slow progress; he scrutinized each scent to confirm it wasn't relevant. So far none of them were, even his favorites didn't have the punch he was looking for. He kept searching, he wouldn't give up. He needed a clue or it'd take anoter one in a million chance, two strangers bumping into each other again, to find his soulmate.

Chocolate. The smell of chocolate was much better than he remembered, but it didn't make him hungry, or crave the sweet at all. It smelt like home, even though no one in his home liked chocolate. It must be his soulmate.

He searched through more smells, especially any associations he had formed with chocolate. Maybe one would give him another clue.

One did: Green tea. His soulmate smelled like chocolate and green tea. It wasn't much to go on, but it was better than nothing.

He wouldn't rest until he found them.

* * *

After the prompting of the Hitachin twins, Harry looked for more things he could do on the computer and found that he could play chess online. It was fun, and he got better at the game from the variety of opponents from all around the world. He slowly climbed the rankings until he got matched with professional players. He loved the challenge of playing them, even though he lost as much as he won.

Just as he finished a match, he heard someone enter his apartment. He turned off the computer to go see who it was.

"Ohayo, Harry-kun!" Masako said from his table. A thick folder sat on it, as well as a fresh thermos in the empty spot across from her. She always brought him tea whenever she had a new job for him.

"Morning Masako-san," he stretched his arms and twisted his back before plopping down on the cushion. He had been at the computer for too long, he needed to remember to take more breaks. "What do you have for me this time?"

She grinned and slid the folder to him. "How do you feel about a trip to Okinawa?"

He scrunched his brow and tried to remember where that was. All he could recall was that it was one of Japan's prefectures. He opened the folder to see pictures of a beach with soft, white sand and the ocean at sunset. "I'm guessing Okinawa has beaches?"

"Yes, Okinawa has beaches," she sighed. "I need to buy you a map, or a travel guide so you can go on trips by yourself."

He shrugged. "I'll sightsee eventually. Does the job need me to travel there or can I get it done from here?"

"It's a popular vacation spot, be a little more excited! I wish I could go," she pouted. "But yes, you need to be there in person. Nekozawa is a high-priority client, and he needs his wards altered to be friendly to non-magicals before friends visit him tomorrow. Lodging and beach access is provided from the manor too."

He looked through the folder some more and found the ward schematics for the manor. There were a few nasty ones that would hurt muggles, including one that could give nightmares and send the victim into a coma. It was nothing he hadn't seen before though. "Looks boring, I'll pass."

"But Harry, we don't have anyone else on hand that can do it fast enough. Please? Don't you want to see the beach?"

"Not really." Even though a beach trip would be fun, he didn't want to be all alone there, or deal with the client. He would rather stay in his apartment and play more chess.

Masako exhaled. "Fine, I wanted this to be a surprise, but the client is also offering any three books, with a few exceptions, from his family's library as a reward if it's done fast enough."

Harry's eyes lit up. There were all kinds of interesting books to be found in old family libraries. His own collection was a testament to that. "I'll do it!"

* * *

Honey stifled a yawn as he helped the Twins pick out a swimsuit for Haruhi. Apparently they were all going on a beach trip the next day, and the first years wanted to put her in something as revealing as possible. His suggestion of a more conservative one piece, that he knew Haruhi would be more comfortable in, were met with ridicule. Oh well, he'd tried.

He was exhausted, and his nose was red. Every day after school, and well into the night, he'd been searching the magical districts for his soulmate. He was enhancing his nose with magic, making it more sensitive for hours at a time, and it was starting to take its toll. So far he hadn't even found a whiff of his soulmate's scent. And to top it all off, he was growing an inch every few days. While he would normally be thrilled by this, it meant he had to wake up even earlier to practice his Katas so fighting wouldn't become uncoordinated with the sudden growth.

It was a rough two weeks, he felt bad for Takashi having to help him through it. Kyoya was a little mad at him too since he wasn't nearly as focused on entertaining his guests and had lost some of his 'moe charm'. He would much rather skip club to search for his soulmate, but Takashi convinced him that he couldn't put his life on hold for something that could take months or, heaven forbid, years.

Maybe a trip to the beach was just what he needed to relax. He'd take a break, enjoy the ocean, and reevaluate his plan to find his soulmate. Maybe he'd get lucky and think of a better way to search.

And he'd always loved the beaches in Okinawa.

* * *

* * *

 

A/N: It's happening! How'd you all like the Hosts? They were pretty fun to write. Also, did you catch the Naruto reference? XD

Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Ouron High School Host club.

* * *

Chapter Four

Harry's portkey was an occult, wooden doll in the shape of a cat. It looked creepy, but it didn't contain any enchantments besides the Portus spell. Hedwig decided that she didn't want to go with, so she would be fending for herself this weekend. Unfortunately he couldn't just alter the wards and leave, the client wanted him to be on standby while his friends were there in case anything went wrong.

He put the hood of his cloak up and activated the doll, and lost himself in the disorientation of the portal.

The portkey slammed him down on the side of a road. He groaned and stood back up, readjusting his cloak. It was a little humid, and the sun's harsh rays beamed down on him; it was a contrast to the cloudy weather he left in Tokyo.

The jungle around him was… tamed. Neatly cut back and contained around the road, it was almost like it was a landscaping feature and not a wild forest. The rush of waves rhythmically crashing into land was off in the distance, and the air smelled faintly of salt. He set the doll in the grass and walked along the road toward that sound.

He crested a hill. A large Victorian manor raised out of the ground on the horizon, surrounded by elegant landscaping, with specs of deep blue water nestled between the surrounding jungle. He soon reached the driveway and waited for the client; the wards should have alerted his arrival.

He felt a presence and turned around.

A tall teenager wearing a cloak like his own stood a few feet away; his wasn't enchanted though, and he could see the lower half of his face as well as a red wig. He was hunched over and was holding a cat-like puppet in his left hand, similar to his portkey. It was emitting a small magical aura, maybe this one was a focus of some sort.

"Nekozawa-san?" Harry asked.

"Ufufufu, I wasn't expecting the Cloaked Protector to be the one to alter my wards," the other teen said. Harry frowned, Masako told him a while ago that people were calling him that after he saved the family in the plaza. It was a stupid nickname.

"Call me Harry. Shall we get on to business?"

"Of course, right this way." The teen led him into the Victorian manor, which was as ostentatious as he expected. Despite the intentionally creepy introduction, which was obvious from the silent Apparation and laugh, Nekozawa-san seemed excited to have him here; he was practically skipping as he stalked through the halls. Harry hoped he didn't have another fanboy.

They went down into the cellar where the ward-stone was located. Most older homes, this manor included, were designed with the stone as a permanent fixture at the base, protected in a specialized room with lots of enchantments, traps, and curses. Harry could sense it up ahead. He personally preferred the newer designs of incorporating the wards throughout the entire home, which was more mutable, but the older design was solid and has persisted for centuries.

When they reached the stone door, Nekozawa released its defenses and it swung open. A large, obsidian ward-stone shaped in an icosahedron sat in the center of the granite room. Red, artificial magelight cast it in a sinister glow. Harry waved his hand and changed it to a bright white to make it easier to read the stone's runes, illuminating the entire room.

Nekozawa shrieked and changed the light back. "Sorry," his voice trembled. "I'm a half-vampire, and bright light burns my skin. It's why I wear the cloak and wig."

"Oh, umm, my bad." Harry cringed, that must be awful to live with.

"Do you mind if I watch? While you work, I mean. I'd alter the wards myself, but they are too advanced for me. I want to see how you do it."

"That's fine," Harry shuffled his feet. He wasn't used to working with an audience, but he wouldn't stop the teen from watching in his own home. "Do you know how to use magesight?"

"No, that's not covered until advanced Arithmancy class that I'll be taking next year."

"Ok, give me a moment." Harry pulled out his wand and searched his brain for the correct spell. Then he walked over and stood in front of Nekozawa, who gazed curiously down at him. Harry reached up with his wand, silently cast the spell, and tapped his wand between Nekozawa's eyes.

The boy's pupils dilated and he took a step back, gawking at the surrounding room. Harry activated his own magesight and was instantly assaulted by the bright, vibrant streams of magic that came from the ward-stone, connecting it to the house and beyond. The runes on its surface were lit up with their own magic, and previously unseen links between them were revealed.

"It's a little overwhelming at first, but the novelty should wear off soon. It'll only last an hour, but that will be plenty of time for me to finish."

Nekozawa could only nod. Harry had reacted similarly when he first used magesight when he was twelve; it was still one of his favorite uses of magic.

Harry left him to his observation and walked closer to the ward-stone. It was much easier seeing how the protections worked together when he had the magic in front of him compared to paper.

Slowly, he used his wand to unravel the web of magic before him until all of the strands were organized and separated. It required constant supervision so the construct didn't collapse; his arms were raised high and waving around like a conductor, constantly making small adjustments.

He bundled the anti-muggle protections and tied them off with his own magical threads, disconnecting them from the manor's wards. He weaved his magic around them in a Celtic knot and bound it so tightly that they wouldn't unravel for a month. Like most energy in the universe, magic obeyed entropy and would dissipate after some time. Since his magic was an unconnected unit from the ward-stone, it was only a temporary restriction and would eventually dissolve, reactivating the previous protections.

He weaved the strands back together into the web he found them in, albeit more elegant than before. He was not impressed by the mess the previous Ward-Master left them in. They were much more coherent now, he'd be able to open them up in half the time if he ever needed to again.

Harry turned his magesight off; the project was complete. Nekozawa's pupils were still dilated, he managed to finish in under an hour after all. The teen was still captivated by the room's magical threads. Harry stood off to the side and waited for the spell to wear off, it wouldn't be long now.

He probed the room's protections to pass the time. They would be able to hold off against most magical attacks and intruders, but he found a few weak points that any competent Wardmaster would be able to exploit. Soon Nekozawa's eyes fluttered, signaling the spell wore off. He looked around aimlessly, trying to catch his bearings, before he found Harry next to him.

"That was… amazing," Nekozawa deeply bowed at Harry. "Thank you for allowing me to observe, Hari-sama."

He shuffled his feet, he couldn't remember what to do if someone bowed like that. He bowed back, "Your very welcome, Nekozawa-san."

His host stood back up and gestured for them to leave. "Let me show you where you'll be staying, and then the house is open to you during your stay. Feel free to head down to the beach or use the library at your leisure."

As they walked through the twisting corridors, Nekozawa told him a bit of the manor's history. Apparently Japan had an epidemic of magical thieves a few hundred years ago when the manor was built, so it was layout was designed to be particularly confusing for anyone not familiar with the property. He made sure to memorize the route to his room in the magical wing, and the library.

Then he was alone, with nothing to do but explore and read for the entire weekend. If he ever got lost or hungry, all he had to do was call a house elf and they would take care of whatever he needed.

He was already starting to get bored. He'd much rather be back home. To stave it off he spent the rest of the day on the beach. It was as beautiful as Masako had described, with smooth white sand and a picture-perfect view of the ocean. The section in front of the manor was nice and private, surrounded by the jungle and enclosed by rocky cliffs. He made sure to explore every inch of it… and have a nice nap under the warm sun.

He got lost when he went back to the manor and tried to find the library, but he didn't want to call for a house elf. He was sure he'd find it eventually, and he was in no rush. He trailed his hand along the antique wallpaper as he strolled; even though everything looked as new as when the manor was built, it still smelled a little musty. The preservation charms probably needed to be redone.

A small, blonde-haired girl ran down the hallway, laughing and looking over her shoulder. When she was only a few feet away she turned forward, spotted Harry, and stopped in her tracks. Her face blanched and her lips quivered, like she was about to cry.

Oh, his hood was still up, veiling his face in darkness. She was scared of him. He quickly pulled it back so she could see his face, and knelt down to her level.

"Hello," he said. The girl visibly relaxed and took a step back to examine him. Her eyes lit up in realization, and she pointed up at him.

"Uke!" she shouted. Then she turned around and ran back into the manor's labyrinth.

Harry stood back up; it would have been nice to ask for directions, and what that word meant. It wasn't included in his potion's vocabulary.

Eventually he found his way back to his room, and from there the library. He spent the rest of the night perusing the shelves and making a shortlist of what he might want to choose. He spent a restless night in his room's wide, unfamiliar four-poster bed.

At least running on the beach in the morning was a nice change. He secluded himself in the manor as Nekozawa's classmates flocked onto the beach, content to have the library to himself. He wished Hedwig was with him, but at least his day would be spent the same as it would have been back home.

* * *

Honey walked into Nekozawa's manor with the other hosts, carrying a large basket full of lobster.

An angry silence hung over their group; Haruhi and Tamaki weren't speaking because of their argument over how she should have handled the thugs, and their mood ambiance spread to the rest of them. He was on Tamaki's side. Why couldn't she understand that they just wanted her to be safe? It had nothing to do with her gender; she had zero training in physical defense and was one against three. There were much better ways to handle that confrontation.

Maybe he should offer her self-defense lessons.

Their dinner was awkward, and all his peacekeeping attempts were in vain. The group split up, and he and Takashi went with Nekozawa-chan for a tour of the manor. It was interesting seeing the differences compared to his family's traditional Japanese estate. They passed by the kitchens where the elves were making some cakes for later that night. Out of habit from the last few weeks of his unsuccessful search, he channeled magic into his nose and breathed in the delicious aroma.

He froze. A hint of his soulmate's scent clung to the walls. He breathed in again. It wasn't a mistake; he could clearly smell the distinct combination of green tea and chocolate.

He sprang in front of Nekozawa and grabbed his shirt. "Who else is in the manor besides your sister and the hosts?"

Nekozawa faltered, and tried to free his shirt. Honey reluctantly let go, but kept his gaze focused on the teen.

"The only other occupant is the Wardmaster who altered the manor's protections for your friends," he patted his shirt down. "Why are you so interested?"

Honey smirked. "He's my soulmate. Where is he?"

"How interesting," Nekozawa chuckled. "Try the library."

Honey nodded in thanks, and sent magic back into his nose and sprinted down the hallway, following the delectable scent.

He wasn't going to give them any chance to get away this time.

* * *

Harry held back a sneeze as he reached up to the highest shelf, the library was filled with the smell of old parchment and the dust that accompanied it. The book was just out of his reach. He recognized that purple leather binding from Dumbledore's personal collection: it was the by Perenelle Flamel. She was a legend among spellcrafters and enchanters, while her husband dominated alchemy. He wanted it, but he couldn't levitate it down in case it was magically sensitive. Some old books were tricky like that.

He leaned forward on his toes and stretched his arm out farther. It was just a few inches away. Maybe if he jumped he could get it.

A body slammed into him and tackled him to the floor. His first reaction was to shove the person away and attack.

But his magic. It was purring. He raised his head to find himself in Honey-san's lap. He was wearing a light blue hoodie with the sleeves cut off, and had grown since their first meeting. He was at least as tall as Harry now, but wasn't lanky like after most growth spurts.

Honey's arms squeezed around him. "I can't believe I finally found you, here of all places," he grinned. His voice was deeper too, but still smooth like velvet. "I've been dreaming of this moment for years."

Harry couldn't move. Regardless of Honey's tight hold, he felt more content in those arms than ever before. It was worse than the Imperious curse. He would stay three forever if he could.

"Now, let's find out who you are," Honey's fingers reached up and grabbed the edges of his hood, and with a sharp twist of his wrists he pulled it back. Harry could only stare as the light hit him and the other boy smiled even wider.

"Harii-chan," he whispered. "I'm so lucky, you're even more beautiful than the last time we met. I didn't even realize you were a wizard."

Honey held him close. Too close. His face leaned down over his, and slowly got closer. His lips puckered, and he closed his eyes. He was about to kiss him.

Harry snapped his magic back to normal and blasted Honey away from him. The boy tumbled through the air and deftly landed on his feet with a flip. Harry backed away from him and shakily stood up, keeping himself flush with the bookshelf as far away as he could get.

"Stop, just stop whatever this is!" he shouted. "I don't understand. Why was my magic out of control? Why were you allowed to get so close, and why were you about to kiss me!"

Honey was unfazed by his panic and looked at him adoringly. It didn't make sense. "Harii-chan, can't you feel it? It's just like the legends describe. We're soulmates!"

His breath hitched. "No, that's bullshit. I've never heard of this before, tell me what's really happening!"

Honey's face turned serious. "It's true. Soulmates are real, everyone in the magical world knows, they're just rare. Were your parent's non-magical? Everyone grows up with the stories, hoping it'll happen to them someday." His face broke into a grin again. "And it just happened to us!"

"N-, No, my parents were magical, but I was raised by muggles." This couldn't be happening. Everything was going so well in Japan. And now right before his eyes, his life was being thrown into chaos again.

"That's okay, we've got our whole lives together for me to tell you the stories," Honey swooned. "And play together, kiss each other, get married, have kids…" he walked toward him with his arms outreached for another embrace.

Kids? Get married? They'd just met! Harry ducked under the arms and backed away again. Honey's brown eyes showed only confusion. "I'm sorry," Harry said. "I can't be your soulmate, you've made a mistake. Go find someone else."

Then he ran from the room.

Harry raced through the hallway to his quarters, startling Mori-san who was guarding the door. What were the odds that the Host club were the friends that Umehito-kun was talking about, and that one of them thought they were soulmates.

He finally found his room after navigating the manor's labyrinth. He locked the door behind him and warded it for good measure. He didn't want to see anyone, especially Honey-san. Rain pelted the room's large windows, he didn't know it was supposed to storm tonight.

The whole idea was completely ridiculous. Sure, he grew up muggle and had his education and social life hijacked to train for a war, but he should've come across the soulmate phenomena somewhere in that time. He'd make a terrible soulmate anyway; he was barely functioning in society as is, no one would want to deal with his baggage.

He started packing his clothes. He was originally planning on staying one more night, but the best course of action was to leave and nip the 'soulmates' idea in the bud. He'd say goodbye to Nekozawa, and then he'd be off. He could pick out his books another time.

A crack of lightning flashed through the windows, and deafening thunder followed. Haruhi. Haruhi was terrified of thunder. If the host club was here, then she was too. He couldn't leave her to deal with the storm alone. He needed to find her.

Harry ran back out of his room with his cloak billowing behind him. He headed towards where he thought Nekozawa's quarters were, maybe he could pinpoint her location with his wards. It would be impossible to find her in the manor without help; he didn't know which wing she was staying in or if she was even in the building.

He rounded a corner and nearly smacked into someone. "Harii-chan! I've been looking for you," Honey said. "I know I came on too strong back there, but I was just so excited and didn't realize you were confused and-"

"Sorry," Harry interjected," but can we do this later? I need to find Haruhi, she's scared of thunder."

Honey froze. "I'll help, she went up to her room to change after dinner, I think it's this way," he pointed to the hallway he came from. "Let's go."

Harry followed him as they raced through the house. They entered the wing that the Hosts were staying in, and Honey started dashing from door to door, opening them and checking for Haruhi at a speed even his eyes found hard to track. He must have been enhancing his body somehow, he would have to ask about it later.

At least the other boy was focused on something other than him now. Even without him thinking they were soulmates, the way that the blonde had watched him back in the library had been uncomfortable. It was like Honey had been trying to form an imprint of him in his mind, while also trying to see into the depths of his soul. He didn't want anyone poking around in there, and he didn't like being watched that closely.

Around the next corner the rest of the hosts were crowded around a door. "That's Haruhi's room," Honey whispered. They joined the huddle, apparently Tamaki was in the room with her. Only Mori noticed he was there.

One of the twins opened the door to reveal Tamaki putting earmuffs and a blindfold on Haruhi. Harry sighed in relief, Haruhi was getting help after all. But all the Hosts, even Honey, looked disgusted.

"What kind of 'play' is that, senpai?" Hikaru asked.

He didn't even try to comprehend the string of denials that followed.

* * *

After making sure Haruhi was alright and giving a brief explanation that he was a guest of Nekozawa, Harry tried to leave to go back to his room. She didn't need another person hanging around to distract her from the storm, the other Hosts had that covered. But Honey grabbed his hand and stopped him before he could get away.

"Can we talk now, please?"

"I guess," Harry said. He was hoping to get away before the boy remembered. Honey kept hold of his hand and led him to his room. He tried to ignore how warm the boy's calloused hands felt around his, and the dejected look he received when he extracted his arm to sit in the chair instead of the couch.

Honey looked at him as if he were a treasure just out of reach. Harry couldn't take it and examined the fabric of his chair instead; it was nice, very high quality. He was used to people wanting him, but only for his skills, or as a tool. Not for something as personal as the relationship the other boy desired.

The silence between them was dense. Honey seemed to be struggling with what he wanted to say now that he had Harry alone. He kept opening and closing his mouth like a fish. Harry would have laughed if it wasn't apparent how serious he was.

"You know, I didn't have the body of a child when we first met because I'm naturally short," Honey finally began. "I was cursed to stay that way by the spirits, because my parents were too proud and bragged about me at a shrine. They made me fight one of my ancestors, and when I lost I was cursed to never grow as a reminder of their pride." He took a deep breath. "Even as I grew older, my body wouldn't change… until I met my soulmate."

Honey's brown eyes drilled into him from across the room.

"Shortly after our first meeting, Takashi noticed I grew an inch, and ever since then I've been trying to find whoever it was. To find you. I only knew that my soulmate smelled like chocolate and green tea, and that when we touched it'd feel like fireworks!"

Harry blushed, maybe he should cut back on green tea… and chocolate cake. He'd definitely felt something when Honey tackled him in the library though, even if he would like to deny it. His magic had never been so happy than when he was in Honey's arms.

It had felt good. Like it was meant to be. But maybe it was coincidence, his magic might have just liked being surrounded by all the books.

"You're probably just confused," Harry whispered. "Trust me, you don't want me as your soulmate. I've done many bad things, you deserve someone better."

"I've never been more certain," Honey said. "Just give this a shot, I won't touch you again, I see now how uncomfortable you were with it, but at least smell me. I know you'll understand then."

He let out a shaky breath. "Fine." His voice didn't sound nearly as unconcerned as he'd wanted. It was time to put this all to rest.

Harry closed his eyes and channeled magic into his nose, magnifying its strength. Honey must have done something similar to move so fast earlier, although orders of magnitudes harder from all the different muscles involved. His breathed in a long drought of air through his nose, ready to get on with his life.

Lavender. Vanilla. The forest and… Birthday cake.

He'd never smelled any of those things before and given them a second thought. But together, right now emanating from the boy sitting across from him, was the most enchanting scent he'd ever encountered. Just smelling it was bliss, even better than sugar in the middle of a craving.

He could bask in it all day.

He cut the flow of magic and opened his eyes. Honey was grinning and nearly jumping off the couch. Harry didn't even want to know what kind of face he was making while enhanced his nose.

The other boy was right. He didn't know if they were soulmates or had some other connection that made him want to keep that thrilled look on his face for as long as possible. To say nothing of irrationally dropping his boundaries and running into his arms.

"I… I…" Harry couldn't form any words. His hands trembled, and his heart wouldn't slow down no matter how much he tried to control it. Honey's eyes were warm, he knew the boy would comfort him if he let him.

"I need to make a phone call!" Harry shot out of his chair, knocking it over.

And, just like their first encounter, ran from the room.

* * *

Back in his room Harry dug around his bag until he found his cell phone. He hadn't felt this vulnerable since he was eleven years old. At least going into battle he'd had a plan, knowledge of the enemy, and training. Here he was blind. The only thing he knew about soulmates was the little he'd gleaned from Honey's talk. Haruhi's input would have been helpful, but she had her hands full with the rest of the hosts and didn't know about magic. There wasn't a way to explain Honey's sudden infatuation with him without it.

He needed to ask Masako about Japan's policy for revealing magic to muggles soon.

He found his phone and stepped out on his balcony. The storm had stopped, and the night sky was clear. Moonlight illuminated the ocean's waves, and the warm sea breeze buffeted his clothes.

He dialed the only person in his contacts who might be able to help him. It rang for a few moments and then picked up.

"Bonjour. Harry?" Fleur answered.

"Hello Fleur," he answered back in French. He had learned the language while preparing the move, in case Japan hadn't worked out. His backup plan was to stay with the Delacour's. "I need your help."

"What's wrong? Have finally decided to join me in France?"

He chuckled. "No, I'm happy here in Japan. I…" he hesitated, his stomach lurched at the thought of saying everything out loud. "What do you know about soulmates?"

"Oh, it's such a marvelous thing!" Fleur gushed. "Magic itself finding the person perfect for you, it's like love at first sight. I hope I find mine someday, one of the reasons I traveled was to look for my match." She sighed. "Unfortunately, finding your soulmate is pretty rare, but the couples that do are always spectacular. Like the Flamel's, or my Mama and Papa. Oh, I hope I can find mine soon! My Veela heritage gives me an advantage, but it's still unlikely."

She sighed again. "So why the sudden interest? I didn't think you were interested in love right now."

"I'm not." He took a deep breath. "But I just met mine."

Fleur gasped. "Oh Harry, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you both!"

"No, it's not wonderful!" He cringed, and took a second to calm down. "Sorry, it's just, this is one of the worst things that could happen to me right now Fleur. I'm a mess from the war, I can't handle a relationship or anything like that, and I'm sure he'd just be scared away if he found out about the things I've done."

"You are  _not_  a mess Harry. You are a beautiful person, and a few scars won't change that," Fleur scolded. "Listen, your soulmate is the one person who will accept you completely, no matter what you've done. There are stories of people, who have done much worse than you think you have, finding love with their soulmate. You need to give this a chance, you'll never find someone who will love you more than this boy."

A gust of wind shifted his hair over his eyes.

"I don't know if I can," he whispered.

"Well, you'd better," she huffed. "Not taking into account how lucky you are, haven't you noticed the effect on your magical core?"

"What's that have to do with anything?" So what if his magic felt happy when he was with Honey, it hardly made a difference with how uncomfortable the boy made him.

"Harry, your magical core is huge, and unstable. I've honestly been worried you'd get hurt, or worse, when you finally reach your magical maturity. But soulmates stabilize erratic cores, even ones as big as yours. The magic senses when it's match is near, and instinctively calms down."

That… might have something to it. Even though this day had been a roller coaster of emotions ever since Honey found him, he had never lost control of his magic. In fact, it even seemed docile; it didn't feel like it was in any danger of overflowing, and he had no urge to practice any control exercises.

"If you hadn't found your soulmate," Fleur continued, "I wouldn't have been surprised if your magic killed you eventually."

* * *

Harry trailed his finger through a rune drawn in the sand while the ocean nipped at his toes. The sand was still a little wet from the storm, but he didn't mind. It would only take a wave of his hand to clean his clothes. The beach was a comfortable place to be alone, and most importantly, away from the manor.

The rest of his conversation with Fleur had been short. She told him about the rest of her trip, and some of the interesting experiences she had, but they both knew that his heart wasn't in it. They ended with her encouraging him to pursue his soulmate, and to call her again with updates.

He was scared.

Not just of his magic, though he didn't like being confronted with the catastrophe that could happen if he lost control. Mainly of his soulmate... of Honey. He was stuck between yet another catastrophe, or a new person to frighten away.

But if he didn't give this a chance, who knows what would happen when he hit his magical maturity? It was only a few months away, he turned sixteen this summer. He didn't want to turn into a human bomb. He supposed he could go somewhere remote, so no one would get hurt, but could he survive it alone?

That'd be ironic. Harry Potter, destroyer of Voldemort and savior of Britain, hero of the Second Blood War, taken out by magical puberty.

Unless he forced himself into a relationship with Honey.

He spent the night sitting in the sand and staring at the ocean, trying to come up with a course of action. He was tempted to just go along with it, but then he'd feel the cool night air cling to his skin, and no matter what spell he used he couldn't shake it off. Once again he had to either give into fate, or suffer. He was trapped between two paths, when all he wanted was to make his own.

When the sky started to lighten, and the choppy waves settled down to a soft blue, he still didn't have an answer. His feet sat in an empty sand pit, gradually hollowed out over the course of the night.

"Harii-chan, are you alright?" Honey's voice said from behind him. He tensed and looked over his shoulder to see the boy standing a few feet away, anxiously twisting his foot in the sand. He hadn't even heard him approach.

"I'm fine," Harry turned back to the ocean. Why did Honey have to find him now? He still had no idea what to do. The conversation with Fleur lingered in the back of his mind, how he would never have a greater love than his soulmate, but the very thought made him want to pack his bags and leave Japan forever.

"You were gone for a long time, I got worried and couldn't find you in the manor, even though it took me a while to take down your room's wards," Honey sat down next to him and apologetically smiled. "I finally managed it and tracked your scent down here though."

"I see." Harry automatically ran through some spells that could eliminate his odor in the future, just in case, and shifted his body a few degrees to the left, away from the other boy.

"I'm… assuming you've been thinking out here?"

Harry nodded, and drew a barrier rune in the sand between them, refusing to look at Honey. It wouldn't work even if he pushed magic into it, sand was too poor of a medium, but it made him feel better all the same.

"You… don't want this, us, do you?" Honey's voice trembled. Harry's heart clenched and he gave in, glancing up. Honey's face was scrunched, as if he was about to cry; this was like kicking a puppy. He was better off without him though, soulmates or not, and Harry wouldn't be trapped again.

"I'm sorry," he hugged his arms around his body. "It's nothing to do with you, specifically, but I can't be the soulmate you're looking for." Dead bodies flashed through his mind. "You're better off without me anyway."

"Why?" Honey's voice cracked. " My only hope for love was my soulmate, no one would be interested in someone with a ten-year old's body. This is supposed to be a beautiful thing, we're supposed to be perfect for one another! What makes you think that my life would be worse if we were together!"

Harry closed his eyes. If Honey wasn't going to let it go until he got some answers, maybe being honest was the best option left. He listened to his heart thud in his chest three times.

"I'm a murderer." He couldn't hear Honey's breathing anymore, only the ever-present murmur of the ocean. "I fought in the Blood War. I was the light's best weapon, and decimated Voldemort's army. It wasn't even fair, I slaughtered them."

"You don't want to try and love a monster like me. I can't return any feelings you give me."

They descended into a heavy silence. He'd done it, he was sure Honey wanted nothing to do with him now. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for the rejection and disgust that surely tainted Honey's face, and opened his eyes.

But Honey's eyes were soft, and full of sympathy, and sadness.

"It's not like I'm an innocent either, you know," Honey's voice, now pensive, rang in Harry's ears. "I might have looked like a child the last seven years, but I've been Japan's strongest fighter for a while now. The Ministry of Defense classified me as a weapon of mass destruction ever since I could beat my Father, and I was doing missions for them even before that."

He shuffled closer. Their faces were barely a foot apart. "I don't believe killing for your country makes you a monster. I don't know why you were even allowed to fight, but if you're a monster then so am I."

Harry's mouth gaped, like an idiot, and he struggled to suck in a breath. He couldn't believe that Honey had killed as well. From the moment they'd met, Honey seemed so pure, and appeared to see the world with a childlike wonder. Such innocence had no business being around him. If Honey had fought, and killed, as well – just like him – how had he remained unaffected?

He shook off the shock. "You should still stay away from me. My life is a mess, and boring. Some days I can barely even leave my apartment to go for a run. Don't waste your time with me, I'm not worth it."

Honey snorted. "It's not I don't have my own problems. I'm childish, and possessive. My family wants nothing to do with me. I seek attention from all my friends because I don't get any at home. None of that means we can't try and make this work though."

He didn't understand. Even after giving him every reason not to, Honey still wanted to be in his life. Harry couldn't convince him that he wasn't worth it. His magic buzzed under his skin. Every time he thought about leaving Japan -and Honey- behind, it thrashed and fought against his iron hold. It took all of his self-control not to yield and throw himself at the other boy, letting their bond surround him in bliss and pacify the beast.

He bit his lip. Already he could feel himself being chained to his soulmate. Was he even able to run away anymore? How long could he last with his magic fighting against him before he slipped and got hurt… or hurt someone else?

Harry took a long breath and felt the sea air move down into his lungs, and released it in a shuddering breath back up through his mouth. He never really had a choice at all.

Honey's patient, expectant stare cut through him. He twisted his body to face the other boy.

"I don't want to date you, I've never even had an inkling of a desire that kind of relationship," Harry's feet dug into the walls of his hole. "I know you expected some kind of fairy tale romance, and kids, and marriage, but I don't know if I can ever give you that. I've never considered those things before, I didn't even know I'd live long enough for them to ever matter until a few months ago."

Honey frowned. "I hate that. I hate whoever led you and made a weapon. You're fifteen, you shouldn't have had to worry about anything more than friends, fun, and school."

He'd never had the chance for a normal childhood, even before the war. "Well, I agreed to it, and it's over now anyway."

Honey sighed, and nodded. His hands twisted in his lap. "I know you don't love me like I love you, and it might stay that way forever. But I'd rather be friends than not have you in my life at all."

"Don't say that," Harry turned away. "You don't love me. You don't know anything about me, we've just met. All we have is this stupid bond." The morning sun emerged over the horizon, making the crest of every wave sparkle. He rubbed slow circles into his side, hoping the familiar action would help him relax.

"You're right," Honey looked down, but then a smile appeared on the corners of his lips. "But I will, once I get to know you. I can already tell you're amazing."

Heat rushed to his cheeks; Harry looked down. He wasn't amazing, someday Honey would see that.

But being friends would be… okay. He wouldn't have to leave Japan, his magic would be satisfied from some contact with his soulmate, and his life could continue as it had been. Safe, boring, predictable. Maybe he'd even enjoy having another friend. And when his magical maturity came, he'd keep it under control, one way or another.

He sat in silence for another few minutes to think it over while Honey patiently waited. Every reason he came up with to run away was countered by the necessity of pacifying his magic, and the niggling want in the back of his mind to get to know his soulmate better. Even if he wanted to deny it, the blond boy next to him made him curious. He wanted to know what fate's perfect match for him was like.

"Fine," Harry sighed, and released the tension in his hands. "We can be friends. That's it."

Honey's face transformed into vibrant happiness, smiling so brightly it overwhelmed the rising sun that lit up the beach. Harry's lips twitched up in a smile of their own as Honey laughed. And when he tackled Harry into the sand with a hug, and his magic hummed in contentment, he didn't even mind how his personal space was being invaded.

At least until he recovered from the initial bliss, readjusted his glasses, and blasted Honey into the ocean.

Maybe this was worth a try after all.

* * *

* * *

 

A/N: Sorry for the longer wait than usual, I hope you're still enjoying the story! There's still a lot more to come!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Ouron High School Host club.

* * *

Chapter Five

The scratching of his pencil and the forceful taps from his calculator were the only sounds in the room.

Designing a new spell required lots of math. Harry had been trying to calculate the different ratios of its magical composition all day. While he could brute force the effects of the spell himself, he needed to determine the most efficient way to produce the effect if there was any hope of the client using the spell. He didn't know why an old man would want to turn his hand into a tentacle, but a job was a job. He liked doing the math anyway; it was relaxing, and he enjoyed knowing that there was one solution out there. He just had to find it.

The doorbell rang. Harry paused his pencil mid-stroke and frowned; he couldn't sense anyone at the door… and wasn't expecting anyone. He took anxious steps toward the living room. Just because he couldn't sense someone didn't mean someone wasn't there. Anyone with tight control over their magic could keep their aura from leaking out, Moody had taught him that, and he didn't know if his visitor was an enemy or not.

He shifted his balance to his right foot as it crossed the doorway. As soon as touched the hardwood floor it slipped out from under him. He fell hard on his back and kept sliding until he hit a wall and bounced off it at an angle, hardly slowing down at all.

He'd forgotten he'd been playing with the frictionless spell earlier.

He gave the ceiling a forlorn look as he bounced around the room. Hedwig laughed at him from her perch, after a moment he waved his hand and undid the spell. His shoulder blades and elbows hurt from the fall. He should have used cushioning charms earlier, or better yet remembered to take down the spell. He hoped they didn't bruise.

The doorbell rang again… right. Someone was at the door. He ran over and peered through the keyhole. Honey was standing outside, still wearing his school uniform and bouncing in place with a smile.

His stomach flipped, Harry hadn't seen him since they'd left Okinawa yesterday morning. They hadn't made any plans, but letting Honey wait outside any longer would be rude. He took a deep breath and shook out his arms. It would be fine. Then he undid the locks and opened the door.

Honey grinned at him. "Harii-chan! Are you ready to go?"

He clutched the doorknob a little tighter as he held it open. Go where? He didn't want to leave his apartment again, he already had his run today. "Umm, hi Honey. What are you talking about?"

Honey waved his hands in the air. "The text! Didn't you see my text message? I said I'd pick you up after I was done with Host Club!"

Oh. He must have not remembered to check his phone too. "I didn't see it."

"That's ok!" Honey shrugged. "Let's go, the limo's waiting!" He grabbed Harry's arm and started to pull him outside.

"What? Wait, Honey, I don't really want to-"

Hedwig swooped between them and threw herself into Harry's chest. He just barely managed to catch her while she let out a screech and flung out her wings, buffeting his face and making Honey let go of his arm.

She screeched again, he could easily imagine the glare she was giving Honey. He balanced her on one arm and ran soothing fingers down the velvety feathers of her back, whispering that he was fine.

She settled down after a few seconds; over her head he could see Honey looking at her with wide eyes. "I didn't know you had an owl! What's her name? She's so pretty!"

Hedwig stopped glowering at him and puffed up her chest. How typical. Harry sighed and scratched the top of her head. "This is Hedwig, sorry if she scared you."

"Don't worry, I'm fine! You were just trying to protect Harii-chan, weren't you?" Honey cooed. Hedwig hooted in affirmation, and then leaned forward to examine Honey. He smiled and peered back at Hedwig, he must not have been seen a beautiful owl like her up close before.

Hedwig looked back at Harry and chirped happily, bouncing in his arms. She must have seen something in Honey that she liked, she'd never warmed up to anyone else so fast before. She stopped bouncing and flew onto Honey's shoulder to groom his hair; he almost moved to stop her but it made Honey even happier. He kept trying to look at her over his shoulder and laughed when she tickled his ear.

Harry leaned against the door while the two got acquainted. At least they were getting along, it would have been awkward apologizing if Hedwig ended up attacking Honey. After she was satisfied with his hair, which didn't even look different, she flew back to her perch and Honey remembered why he had come.

"Right, Harii! Are you ready to go?"

He stepped away from the door and crossed his arms. "You still haven't told me what's going on, but either way I'd rather not go out."

"Don't worry, you'll love it. It's a surprise!"

"I think I'd rather stay here." He hated surprises. Surprises meant ambushes, and beatings. Sometimes even death. He'd never had a good surprise before.

Honey's lip started trembling, and he pouted at him with a tear in his eyes. His begging must have been irresistible when he still looked like a little kid.

"Please?"

wasn't worth dealing with the stares and constantly looking over his shoulder, even if that look made his throat feel tight. He was hungry too, he hadn't eaten since breakfast. There was no good reason to leave.

"No, sorry I don't want to," he moved toward the kitchen. "Do you want something to eat? I'm about to make something for myself."

Honey's face faltered; Harry ignored the pinch of guilt for letting him down. He had some leftover pie in the fridge, that'd make it better, right?

Hedwig swooped down and blocked him from entering the kitchen. She screeched when he tried to move around her. "What? What's wrong?" Hedwig gave him a resigned look and let out a deep sigh. Then she started pecking at his feet and ushered him out the door. Honey followed him out.

It slammed shut behind them.

Harry twisted his hands; he really didn't want to go but forcing his way back in wasn't worth the fight when Hedwig clearly wanted him out. "I guess we're going then," he sighed.

The corners of Honey's mouth were turned up as they went down the steps and into the limousine. He barely had time to sit down before the door was closed and they drove off.

The leather seats were nice. Too nice. He couldn't relax in them and sat with his back taught and his hands in his lap.

Honey took the seat next to him even though the rest of the cabin was empty. "Don't worry, you'll love this! I promise!" he said.

Harry nodded and closed his eyes. The air was stale, even though the fans were blowing; with every bump the car ran over his stomach trembled. An excess of saliva built up under his tongue no matter how many times he swallowed. He really hoped he didn't throw up.

The drive into the city took forever. Thankfully Honey was satisfied with the silence so he could focus on keeping his stomach settled. When the car finally slowed down and parked, he threw himself out the door and heaved in the fresh air.

"Are you ok?" Honey hovered over his shoulder and something in his chest fluttered. His face felt flushed, but the nausea was gone.

"Yeah I'm fine, thanks." The limo pulled away from the curb, Harry looked up to find himself outside of a wide cobblestone street with cherry trees running down its middle.

"If you're sure," Honey said, and Harry glanced down. He still wasn't used to how the other boy was always concerned about him.

Honey smiled and grabbed his hand. It was warm, and tingled with their magic. "Come on then, we're almost there!" Harry nearly had to jog with how fast Honey was skipping down the alley. He didn't have any time to admire any of the flanking stores, or the other shoppers. They stopped in front of a large wooden door painted yellow. The store's window was tinted and covered in flowers.

Honey entered the store, and Harry cautiously followed behind him.

A warm breeze containing the gentle aroma of freshly baked treats washed past him and the door swung shut behind them with the jingle. His mouth started watering; Honey had brought him to a café. He wasn't going to miss out on food after all.

It was cozy, the hardwood floor was a deep brown and the room was filled with colorful booths and lots of plants. The walls were blended in a mixture of colors, changing from red to yellow to blue every few meters. Honey turned around and smiled at him, "This place is my favorite, their cakes are as good as yours! But that's not even the best part."

"Welcome!" A smiling, blue-haired waitress in a maid outfit approached them. Her eyes lit up when she got closer, and her wide grin softened into something more genuine. "Honey-sama, is that you? It's been a while, you've grown! Who's this?" She talked very fast, Harry wouldn't have been able to understand what she was saying a few months ago.

"Hiya Minami-chan!" Honey let go of his hand and gestured toward him. "This is Harii, it's his first time so let's make it special, alright? And bring out  _all_  the cake too, we're hungry!"

"Yes sir!" Minami saluted and ran off.

Once she was gone, Harry turned to Honey. "What did you mean by special?"

"Don't worry about it, let's go sit in the back!" Honey moved through the store with a familiar ease and chose a booth sectioned off by several large ferns. Harry assumed it was the best one, or maybe the most private. He sank into the cushioned seat opposite of Honey and reached for a menu before the other boy pushed it out his reach.

"What? I want to see what they have."

Honey wagged his finger at him and smirked. "Looking would just ruin the surprise." Of course it would; Harry let out a long sigh, he just wanted to eat.

"Whatever. What did you mean by the cake being as good as mine? You've never had my cake."

"Nope, Haru-chan let us have some when we all visited her!" Honey's eyes glazed over. "It was really good cake Harii, some of the best I've ever had. It soft, and moist, and the frosting was so creamy, it rang on my tongue like sweet chimes!"

Warmth crept up his face. Honey made his cake sound… sensual. The blond was still swooning at the thought of it, and a drop of saliva peeked out of the corner of his mouth. Harry didn't think it was possible for someone to like cake so much. It was his favorite food too, but still.

He nudged the other boy's foot under the table, making him snap out of his daze and blink in confusion. "Stop that, you're drooling Honey-san."

"Mitsukuni." Honey quickly wiped at his mouth and leaned toward him, and spoke without his usual jubilance. "You should call me Mitsukuni now, Harii-chan."

"Fine… Mitsukuni-san." His name tasted odd on his tongue, like the first time he tried sushi. It was now one of his favorite Japanese foods, but it took some getting used to.

Honey beamed at him. A Siamese cat jumped up onto the table.

"Harupin!" the cat strolled over and rubbed against Honey's hand, its eyes squinted and it started purring.

Harry leaned forward. "Why is there a cat on the table?"

"This is a cat café!" Honey picked up Harupin and settled him in his lap, and then Minami walked over with two kittens while two other girls carried a tray piled with cake and some tea.

Minami settled the kittens on his shoulders before he could protest. Their claws poked his skin through his shirt as they scrambled for some grip. "This is Tachi and Sasu, please take care of them Harii-kun."

A soft meow echoed in his right ear. "Right, sure. I can do that," he gently plucked them off his shoulders and settled them in his lap. Each had soft black fur, and were surprisingly warm. One immediately started crawling around while the other settled down for a nap. He put the one trying to escape back in his lap and petted him to keep him still.

Minami smiled. "Looks like you're both good to go! Enjoy the cake, and just shout if you need anything!" She and the other waitress walked away with their empty trays.

"Thank you!" Honey called after them, Harry forgot to as well while he was stroking their little paws. It took a few moments for him feel comfortable enough to look away from them.

The table was filled with an arrangement of plates, each with two slices of a different flavor. There must have been every kind he could think of. Honey must have ordered everything on the menu. His mouth started watering, and he made sure it was closed. He wouldn't be caught drooling when he had just berated Honey for it.

With… Sasu finally settled down, Harry poured himself some tea and tried to decide which one to first. Maybe the one with the strawberries, or the vanilla with chocolate frosting, or-

"You like chocolate, right?" Honey interrupted his thoughts and held out a piece of chocolate cake layered with fudge and topped with whipped cream. It looked divine. "You should try this one."

"Sure!" He grabbed the plate, cut off a large piece with his fork, and put it in his mouth. It was perfect; soft and gooey, and the chocolate melted in his mouth. It was warm too, he wanted his stomach filled with this cake. He barely stopped himself from releasing a moan.

Honey giggled. "Don't hold back, this is more cake than even I can eat in one sitting. I'm going to need your help to finish it all." He already had a few empty plates stacked to the side.

Harry smirked, and cut off another large piece. "I don't think that'll be a problem."

From there, all of the cake slowly disappeared, and the small pile of plates turned into a tower. They only took short breathers to drink tea and play with the cats. When they finally finished, Harry was collapsed against the back of his bench and Honey's upper body had molded with the top of their table. Harry didn't even mind that his feet were resting his on Honey's so he wouldn't slide off the slick cushion.

"That was so good," Harry breathed out. "Thanks for this… Mitsukuni. I'm glad Hedwig kicked me out after all. I know it's kind of lame, but this has been one of my best trips in Japan yet."

Honey let out a laugh and idly stroked Harupin's head. "You really don't get out much, do you? I'd hardly call this a trip."

Harry shrugged. "I don't like leaving my apartment." Something always happened when he left it. First there was the disastrous introduction to the Magical District, and later he met his soulmate, and while that wasn't necessarily bad definitely hadn't wanted it to happen at the time. He just wanted a normal trip for once.

"Yeah, I found that out, sorry for not confirming the plans with you. It might have gone a bit smoother if I had," Honey sheepishly smiled and sat back up. "What  _do_  you like though? I still don't know much about you."

The only sound between them was their cat's purring. Harry rubbed Tachi under his chin. He didn't really know what to say, he wasn't good at talking about himself. Haruhi had guided him through that conversation when they had it.

"What do you already know?" Harry asked.

Honey started counting off with his fingers. "I know you like your owl, chocolate cake, and reading. I know that you like running in the morning, and that you're really good with magic, a master. Nekozawa's wards showed me that. And I know your real name is Harry Potter."

Oh, he must have read all the papers then. "And… you still want to be my friend?" Harry asked.

"We talked about this yesterday, I'm not letting you run away from me again just because of your past. I don't believe the stories about you anyway."

Harry averted his eyes. "A lot of them were true."

"And I'm sure they didn't have a bias at all, did they?" Honey shot back, and then sighed. "How did you get involved in all that anyway?"

He did not expect to have this conversation with kittens in his lap, but he supposed it would have to happen eventually. "It's kind of a long story."

"We've got time," Honey reached across the table and grabbed his hand, and didn't let go when he tried to pull away. "You can tell me anything Harii, and I won't hate you for it. But I want to understand."

Honey had big hands, they completely enveloped his own. He stopped trying to pull his hand back after only a moment, Honey's grip was tight and the magic sent through their bond was comforting. Maybe it would make this easier.

Harry took a deep breath. "There was a prophecy," he started, and then rubbed Tachi's head again. He didn't know the best way to explain, he'd never had to before.

Honey's thumb rubbed comforting circles into his palm. "Go on."

"It said either me or Tom Riddle, that's Voldemort, would kill the other. That's why he attacked my family when I was a baby. My mentor Dumbledore thought that it was fulfilled when he was vanquished, but found out it wasn't when I stopped his shade from returning my first year at Hogwarts. He knew I needed training, so when he offered it I accepted."

"From then until the war started, all my time was spent learning and training so I wouldn't lose."

"But… that doesn't make sense," Honey frowned. "Voldemort was one of the most powerful wizards in Europe. I know you have the raw power, but how'd you learn enough in only a few years to win?"

Harry shrugged. "We cheated. Rituals, potions, time-turners, memory transfer, you name it. We did everything we could to make me as powerful as possible, as fast as possible. And in the end it worked, his minions could barely touch me, and I killed him when he finally stopped running."

He was done. Honey didn't say anything, he just looked at him. The only sound in the booth was their cats' purring and each other's shallow breathing. A muted clatter of dishes being washed came from farther back in the store.

"I wish I would've been there to help," Honey's face turned down. Harry could see the guilt settling into his eyes with every passing second. They looked like Dumbledore's eyes each time he came back from a battle.

He kicked his shin under the table, Honey yelped and released his hand.

"Don't be dumb," Harry said. "There's no way you could have known, or helped." He wouldn't have wanted it anyway, it would have just been another person on the battlefield to try and protect, and make more mistakes. It was better to just work alone.

"Harii that hurt," Honey whined. "You're right though. We met when we were supposed to, no sooner or later."

Harry nodded. "Looks like you know all about me… but I don't really know much about you."

Honey perked back up at his question. "Well, I like cake!" Obviously. "And martial arts, and cute things, and the Host Club! I have a younger brother, and you've already met my bunny Usa-chan!"

"Why are you in the Host Club?" That question had been niggling the back of his thoughts ever since he met Honey. The concept of the club was just… unappealing to him. He couldn't understand why any of the members participated.

"Well, it all started with Tamaki," Honey said. Harry wasn't expecting that, the other blond seemed so flippant when they'd met, what had he done to get Honey to join? Sasu nudged his hand and Harry started petting him again, but kept his attention focused on Honey.

"I used to be like you were, a soldier. My life was focused on fighting and maintaining the public persona of a warrior, just like my father. I never let myself get excited or let anyone know how much I loved cute things. But it wasn't me. Tamaki helped me see that, and I ended up joining the club. It's not as bad as you probably think it is from Haruhi's stories, even though I can see why you wouldn't like it anyway. All we do is talk to the girls, and get served cake."

"The cake must be nice," Harry said. "Do you still fight often?"

"Not really, I'm more of a trainer now. But sometimes the military brings me in when they need more firepower."

"I see." Harry wasn't going to ask for any more detail of his missions, those were private. He wouldn't want to talk about his own, and for all he knew some of Honey's were government secrets.

Tachi woke up from his nap and Sasu instantly pounced on him and bit at his ear. They rolled off his lap and fell to the floor in a flurry. Harry looked under the table to see Tachi turn the tables and tackle Sasu to the ground, who was squirming and kicking in a desperate attempt to for freedom.

"Don't worry about them," Honey giggled. "They fight like that all the time." Harupin leapt onto the floor and stood vigil over the kittens, occasionally batting at them when they were too rough. Then Tachi and Sasu stopped fighting each other and tried to pounce the older cat, who deftly jumped away and ran deeper into the store. The kittens chased after her, she never went too far ahead for them to lose her.

All of their tea was gone, as well as the cake. Honey slid out of the booth, it looked like it was time to go. Harry got out as well and searched his pockets for his wallet to leave a tip, but then realized that he hadn't had time to grab anything when he left his apartment.

Honey started to lead him out of the store, and called out to Minami that they were leaving. She shouted goodbye after them.

"What about paying?" Harry asked. Honey waved him off.

"They'll put it on my tab." Honey must really come here often if he has a tab. The bell on the door broadcasted their departure with a jingle.

Outside it had gotten dark, and the variety of lights hanging from every storefront were turned on and cast the street in a multi-colored glow. The city's ever-present hum had fallen to the background. The only people in the street were small packs of students browsing the stores and wandering couples that strolled by with linked hands.

"What do you want to do next?" Honey asked.

Harry blinked. "We're doing something else?"

"Well, only if you want to!" Honey said. "We can go home now if you want, but I don't have anywhere else to be if you want to stay out for longer."

"I don't mind," he shrugged. "Maybe we could walk around for a while?" He hadn't had the chance to look at any of the other stores earlier.

"Sure!"

He put his hands in his pockets, it was starting to get a little cold. They walked side-by-side down the tree-lined street. Honey filled the silence with idle chatter; he had a comment for nearly everything they passed by and all of the things he didn't recognize in the windows. Harry nodded along and threw in his own questions when he had them.

This was nice, just hanging out with Honey. He thought that it would have been awkward, since they were soulmates, but it wasn't an issue. Honey never made him feel bad for not knowing what to say, or not having much to say. And everything he said was interesting, even if it just a random remark or opinion. He always said what he was thinking and Harry never had to try to puzzle it out.

And even though they were out in public, his magic was calm and he didn't feel any urge to run back to his apartment.

A small black shape moved in the corner of his eye, his shoe scuffed on the concrete sidewalk and he stumbled. What was that? Honey's hand shot out and steadied his arm.

"Thanks," he said.

"Anytime," Honey's eyes lit up as he saw something over Harry's shoulder, and he released his arm with a gasp. "Wait right here, I'll be back in a minute!" He darted off before Harry could form a response.

Whatever Honey saw must have been interesting, Harry wasn't even able to see where he ran off to. Now he was standing in the middle of the street, alone. He didn't like it. He shuffled his feet and looked around for a better spot to wait; here he felt too exposed, too vulnerable.

An inhuman black figure was standing at the entrance of an alley, staring at him. It was twice his height, skinny, and wearing a blank white mask and white kimono. No one else walking by could see it, or if they did they didn't react. It gestured for him to follow, and disappeared into the darkness.

Harry glanced around the street, Honey wasn't back yet, and he didn't know how long he'd be. Whatever that was, it wanted his attention, and he wanted to know why. He crossed the street and went into the alley, it wouldn't take more than a few minutes to check out.

He passed through the wooden archway connected to the adjacent buildings, the passageway was dim and only lit by light coming in from the street. The creature turned left at its end, and Harry followed, and stepped in a puddle. When he turned the corner he couldn't see anyone, but a new source of light was emitting from a new tunnel. He was starting to feel claustrophobic from the towering buildings on each side, if there was nothing there when he found the source of the light he would turn back and go back to waiting for Honey.

He walked through the new tunnel, its walls were different than the buildings. They were a smooth stone, and carried with them the feeling that they'd been there forever and would still be there long after he was dead. His body was taught and he was ready to defend himself with his magic at a moments notice, if it was necessary.

It lead into a courtyard warmly lit by lanterns scattered around its edges. The creature and a dark-haired man wearing a grey kimono stood at its center, waiting for him. A strip of cloth covered his right eye with an unfamiliar Japanese seal, but Harry could tell it was some sort of barrier.

"Evans Hari, you are quite hard to get ahold of. Thank you for answering my Shiki's summons." He spoke with a deep, arrogant voice and had a constant smirk on his face. Harry didn't like him, he reminded him of Malfoy.

Harry straightened his back. "I wasn't aware approaching me in the street was such a difficult task," he straightened his long sleeves by his wrists, and checked over his wand in its holster. It hummed in response. "Who are you?"

"Matoba Seiji, Head of the Matoba Exorcist Clan," the man said with a bow. "I witnessed your work against the Grade 5 spirit in the plaza, it was quite impressive. I would have liked to have talked to you sooner, but certain… interests have been running interference."

Not this again, he wished he had saved the family with some other spell, one that allowed him to remain anonymous, he knew at least five off the top of his head that would have done the trick. This must be one of the exorcists that Masako had been blowing off the last few months. "What do you want?"

"Your talents are very unappreciated right now, running errands for the government. I would like to adopt you into my clan, they would be put to much better use fighting spirits along with our other mages. The Matoba Clan is the most powerful exorcist clan in Japan, and with our resources you could-"

"Pass," Harry interrupted. "Is that all?"

Matoba's face twisted. "This is not an offer made lightly. With someone as powerful as you on our side, we could force them back to wherever they came from once and for all!"

So this was just a poor attempt at a power grab after all. "Look, I'm not interested joining a clan of a bunch of strangers, and as from what I've read the spirits are hardly a danger as long as they are respected." The man's face twisted in rage.

"Perhaps seeing the danger of spirits firsthand will give you a change of heart then," Matoba made a sign with his hand, and dozens of Shiki, carbon-copies of the first, poured out of the shadows and surrounded the courtyard. Harry flicked his wand into his hand and activated his magesight. He turned it off less than a second later; there weren't even any anti-Apparation wards up. Whatever this was, it wasn't a serious threat, but he remained in a loose fighting stance just in case.

One of the Shiki lurched towards with its arms raised, Harry readied his magic for a lance of fire. He'd read that most spirits didn't like fire, and Matoba's Shiki were just artificial spirits.

A blur shot out of the alley and jumped over the crowding Shiki,. It cut down the closest one to Harry with a glowing blue katana. He almost released his spell at the figure out of pure reaction, but then he saw it was Mori-san. The Host was wearing dark street clothes and stood like a pillar between him and the spirit.

The courtyard was silent. The Shiki shattered into glowing dust the same shade as Mori's sword. He held it up in a defensive guard, ready to lash out if any of them crept closer. Harry took a deep breath and turned away from Mori, it looked like he was competent enough to handle the back, so Harry would handle the front. Matoba frowned and raised his hand again.

As one, the rest of the Shiki crept forward, closer and closer in spite of Mori's sword. His magic stung underneath his skin. It was excited, bloodthirsty. It hadn't gotten to fight in a long time. He hated when it felt like that.

A clang sounded from the rooftops, Harry jerked his head up. Honey flipped through the air above them swathed in an aura of golden light. His light grew brighter and brighter and he fell closer to the ground, and when he landed in their small clearing he smashed his fist into the ground.

The golden aura exploded from his body. When the wave reached the Shiki they disintegrated just as if they were cut by Mori's sword. It felt like sunshine.

Honey stood up and positioned himself in front of Harry, partially blocking his view of Matoba. He tried moving to the left, but Honey shifted with him and moved even closer together.

"What is the meaning of this Seiji?" Honey asked. Harry had never heard him sound so angry before.

"Hello Mitsukuni," Matoba scowled. "Just a failed recruitment, no thanks to you and your cousin."

"Harii is off limits," Honey growled out. "Take your vendetta somewhere else, no one here is interested in listening to it."

"If you had joined the exorcists as planned, I wouldn't have to recruit anyone ever again," Matoba shook out his kimono and turned away. "But fine, I recognize that tonight was a failure. I'll see you another day, Hari-san."

Then he apparated away.

Honey let out a deep breath and turned around to face him. "Did you really have to follow the mysterious figure down the dark alley?"

A blush crept up his face as he fidgeted. "No, I guess not."

"Well, whatever," Honey sighed. "I'm just glad you're safe Harii-chan."

"It's not like the Shiki were much of a threat, and I could have Apparated away if I needed to," Harry turned to Mori. "Thank you for the assistance anyway Mori-san. How'd you know something was happening?"

Honey's eyes narrowed. "You were stalking use all night, weren't you? Takashi! I told you not to!"

Mori sheathed his sword and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah," he looked down.

"Urgh, whatever," Honey groaned. "Please don't next time."

The light of one of the lanterns flickered out. Honey rummaged in his pockets. "Anyway Harii, I got you this!"

He held up the small wooden carving of two cats tied together with a ribbon. They looked just like Sasu and Tachi.

* * *

"So who was that anyway? It looked like you knew each other." Harry asked from the backseat of the limo. It was dark in the compartment, the only light came from a few small LEDs on a control panel and the bits of light that fought through the tinted windows. The cat charm was tied around his wrist.

"That was Seiji-chan," Honey answered. "He's from a Noble family, just like me. We played together as kids."

"Ahh," he couldn't picture it. "He seemed a little… hostile."

"Yeah," Honey propped his hand on his cheek and leaned against his window. "He wasn't always like that though. He had always disliked spirits, one has been trying to take the eye of the Head of his family for generations. That's why he wears that seal." The blond closed his eyes and looked down. "But everything changed when his sister Yue was taken by the Moon Spirit. Ever since then he's thought of nothing but fighting them."

No wonder he had a vendetta. "That's sad," Harry said. He knew what it was like to live in war, and Matoba was choosing to fight one against an enemy that couldn't be defeated. "And you were going to fight with him?"

"I don't know, probably not. It was just something we said when we were kids while we played. That was before his sister was taken and he changed, and before I was cursed."

The car pulled to a stop in front Harry's apartment. He got out with a spring in his step, he hadn't gotten car-sick this time.

Honey got out with him. "I'll walk you up." They tiptoed up the wooden stairs. It was late, much later than they'd thought they'd be out, and didn't want to wake any of the neighbors, especially Haruhi. She'd be mad if they interrupted her sleep.

Harry opened his door and turned on the light. Masako was slumped over his table, asleep. An empty plate and pot of tea was next to her. Hedwig was nowhere to be seen, and her perch was empty. She must have been out flying.

He sighed. "Sorry, this will just take a second." Honey lips quirked up as he nodded and stood off to the side.

Harry walked over to Masako and poked her cheek. His nose crinkled, she was drooling… on  _his_  table.

He poked her harder.

Masako jerked awake and she scrambled to catch her bearings. After a moment she noticed him crouched next to her.

"Harii!" she shouted. "Where have you been? Do you know what time it is!"

"No," he replied. "And I was out."

"Out!" she sputtered. "You went out? With who!"

"With Mitsukuni." He pointed towards him, still standing by the door. Masako's gaze followed his hand and her eyes widened. She shot to her feet and immediately bowed.

"Haninozuka-sama! It's an honor to meet you again!"

Harry pinched her side. "Be quiet!" he hissed. "It's late!"

Honey giggled and gave a small bow back. "Hiya Masako-chan. It's nice to see you again as well."

She stood up. Her shirt was wrinkled and wisps of her hair had fallen out of her bun and over her face. "How do you two know each other?" Harry asked.

"She was Sumiya-chan's minion for a while," Honey grinned.

"I was not her minion, she was just my boss!" Masako ground her teeth and sat back down with a huff. "You're grown a bit since I last saw you."

Honey smiled at Harry. "Yeah, I have."

Harry looked away and sat on a mat. "Well, take a seat wherever I guess." If they were going to catch-up with each other, they might as well sit down for it. Honey skipped over and sat next to him.

"So you have a handler too?" Harry asked Honey, who gave a sheepish shrug in affirmation.

Masako laughed. "Everyone powerful enough in Japan gets a handler, Hari. So… how do you two know each other?" She grabbed the teapot and started to check if there was anything left.

"Oh, we're soulmates," Harry said.

Masako fumbled the pot and Honey's eyes widened. "Harii!" he said. "I thought you wanted it to be a secret!"

"You're soulmates!" Masako shrieked.

"Be quiet!" Harry hissed again, then turned toward Honey. "And I don't really care. Why? Did you want it to be?" Masako covered her face with her hands and let out a groan.

"Well no, but everyone will assume we're in a relationship."

Masako's head shot up. "So you weren't on a date together?"

"No," Harry said, and shuffled his feet in his cushion. "We're just friends. And I doubt I'll ever get out to meet this 'everyone' you're referring to anyway."

Masako glowered at him. "You exist to make my job harder, don't you? Do you know how many forms I'm going to have to fill out to make you a resident since your soulmate is a citizen? Dozens! And don't even get me started on the politics now that the strongest Japanese wizard, from a noble family no less, is mated to the most powerful European wizard!"

"It's not like I chose this!" Harry glared back. Honey cringed in the corner of his eye and he looked down, he didn't mean to imply that it was his fault either. "If it's that much trouble then just keep it quiet."

"As if that'd last long," she huffed, and turned her glare to Honey. "Does your family even know yet?"

Honey squirmed under her gaze and scratched his cheek. "Umm, nope!"

Masako threw her hands up to her face again and took several deep breaths. "Well, you better tell them soon. I can do the paperwork quietly but you know how they'll react, as well as Sumiya-chan."

He cringed again. "Ah, right. I will soon!"

"And you'd better take care of him!" Masako gestured toward Harry. "Even if you are  _just friends_."

"Of course I will!" Honey declared. They intensely stared at each other, neither flinching away.

Harry rested his head and arms on the table and idly tapped the wood until they were done. "Is it really that big of a deal?" he asked.

"Yeah, it is," Masako sighed. "Any soulmates finding each other is big news in the papers, but a noble heir like Honey is like a prince. And then the fact that it's  _you_ …"

He blanched. "Ok, let's definitely keep it quiet then." He really didn't want to have to move again because of the press, let alone deal with the questions, the cameras, or the crowding.

"That's fine," Masako said, and Honey nodded too. At least now they had a plan going forward. She shook out her arms and changed the topic. "Anyway, I originally came over to see if you were done with that spell for my boss."

That spell was for her boss? Weird, he thought the boss of whatever department she was in would have been a more accomplished wizard, it was just a transfiguration. He summoned the folder with his work and it landed in the middle of the table.

"Harii, you made a spell? Let me see!" Honey grabbed the folder before Masako could and started to read. Masako's face got pale and Honey's got redder and redder as his eyes scanned the page. He snapped it shut and looked at him with bewildered eyes.

"Harii! Why are you making a spell like that!"

Harry shrugged. He didn't know either, it was just a transfiguration after all.

Honey didn't look him in the eyes for the rest of the night, Masako wouldn't look at either of them. He was still blushing when he and Masako left a few minutes later.

 

* * *

* * *

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Unfortunately, at this point the story is caught up with how much I've written. Expect bi-weekly updates from now on. Hopefully I can make that deadline, or even make it weekly every now and then.


	6. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Ouron High School Host club.

* * *

Chapter Six

It was hard to return to his normal routine after Honey's visit. He kept getting distracted while working and thinking about their afternoon; it was fun, even if it was interrupted towards the end. He enjoyed it a lot more than he expected.

They didn't see each other at all in the following days, Honey had wanted to come over but something was going on with the Host Club that was keeping him busy. Haruhi also only came over at night to do her homework as fast as possible. He stayed up late to keep her company; it wasn't like he slept well anyway.

For some reason he didn't have a nightmare after Honey's visit, but they returned the next night. That part of his routine had no problem returning. So to help keep his mind busy he ran whenever they woke him up, even if it was still nighttime. And then he baked once he finished.

He had a lot of cake in the refrigerator.

He had spent the last few days working through the calculus textbooks he ordered in the mail. After looking up the deconstruction of Apparation, he quickly realized that he needed a better foundation in math if he was going to get anywhere with his new form of magical transportation. Thankfully, Masako showed him how to order books before he went looking for information on his own. It would have been hard to find anyone in the wizarding world with the math skills he needed, and even rarer to find someone one willing to teach him, but the muggles had plenty of references available.

He was in the middle of working on a problem when he felt Honey arrive at his door. He clicked open his phone and there were no missed messages on the screen, and there were no plans to meet today; as far as he knew the Host Club event was still going on, even on a Saturday like today.

Honey gave only a short greeting once he opened the door, then shuffled in with an aura of doom and flopped facedown on the couch. His hair was still wet from a shower and his clothes were ruffled; he must have rushed over. Harry waited for him to say something, anything, but he stayed silent and kept sneaking glances in his direction before ducking his head back down into the cushion.

In the few days that they hadn't seen each other Honey had grown another few inches. He was now four inches taller than him. With any luck he'd get a growth spurt soon and catch up.

Hedwig had a worried look in her eyes. Something was wrong, from what he'd seen so far Honey was always bursting with energy and smiling. He couldn't even imagine something that would make him act like this.

Well, he could. But he really hoped that nothing as terrible as the scenarios in his mind had happened to Honey. He sat next to the couch and Hedwig landed in his lap.

"Umm… are you alright Mitsukuni?"

Honey said something but it was muffled. After a moment he turned over and looked at Harry. From this close the anxiety in his eyes was obvious.

"I met with my father today and he saw that the curse broke. He wants to meet you."

Harry blinked. "It's been almost a month since that happened, he just now noticed?"

"We don't see each other very often anymore," Honey shrugged. "My mother has been out of the country for most of this year as well, she'd only know if he tells her, but they don't talk much either."

All this time he must have basically been living alone then. He remembered that Honey said that his family didn't want much to do with him after the curse but he didn't realize that it was to this extent. "What's the problem exactly? I don't mind meeting him, though I'm not sure why he wants to do this."

"Wait, really? You don't mind?" Honey asked. "You wanted to stay in when we went to the bakery though."

"It's not like I never go out, I have to meet clients sometimes." Hardly ever… his reputation as a shut-in was only partially deserved. He went out on runs every morning after all. "This seems important though, with how significant the soulmate thing seems to be."

Honey shifted his lips into a pout. "Hanging out with me wasn't important?"

"We could have stayed here, it was fun but it wasn't like we  _had_  to go. And you wouldn't have looked so anxious coming in if you weren't worried about it."

"You're right, I am worried about it… I don't know his reason for it either. I know if my mother found out she'd be overjoyed, she'd finally have her son back and would milk the press for all that it was worth. But my father… I doubt it's simple curiosity."

Harry frowned. "Is he dangerous? Should I not go?"

Honey shook his head. "No, you definitely need to go. He'd meet with you one way or another, even if he had to come here himself. And he has enough friends in the government to easily learn your address, and I don't think you want the attention that would bring."

He shuddered at the thought, something like that would force him to move again; he'd have to think of a contingency plan for whenever Honey's mother found out the curse was broken.

"But is he dangerous?" Harry asked again.

"Well, not to you. He has too much honor to harm a guest. He must want something from you though," Honey paused and then grinned up at him. "If the worst case happens and he does attack you, I know for a fact I can beat him in a fight."

Hedwig raised her wings in agreement and puffed out her chest.

Harry snorted. "Well if you're that confident, I guess we should head out then. He wanted to do this now, right?" It seemed like it would be very political, he hadn't had to deal with that since he left England.

"Mhmm!" Honey bounced up and pulled him to his feet. "The limo is outside and ready to go. Do you have everything you need?"

Phone, keys, and wallet. That's what he always needed when he left the apartment. He ran back to his room, grabbed them, and then met Honey at the door. "Why don't we just Apparate?"

"My family is more integrated with the muggle world than other magical families, so we need to maintain a presence here as well. It's not worth the trouble if we show up somewhere without an explanation, so we only Apparate in emergencies, or when we go to the magical district." Honey stilled in the middle of opening the door. "The car ride was good for thinking up ways to convince you to come with as well, I didn't end up needing them though."

"How many arguments did you think of?"

Honey gave a small cough and turned away before answering. "Ten."

That… that seemed excessive.

Harry said goodbye to Hedwig and locked the door behind them. It was a beautiful day, just like it was this morning on his run.

The limousine was waiting right outside the building like last time. Between him and Haruhi people must have been getting used to seeing fancy cars around here. There were only a fraction of people staring now compared to the day he first met the Hosts; Harry ducked his head and hurried in before they noticed him. Honey sat next to him again, but this time he wasn't so nervous about the destination that he got carsick, so they idly chatted about what had been going on in the Host Club.

He wished he could have seen them all in dresses, maybe someone took a picture.

Compared to facing down Voldemort, meeting Honey's father didn't intimidate him at all. This was just like a job; he only needed to meet with the man, make a good impression, find out what he wanted, and then get out.

With each passing minute the neighborhoods outside the windows became wealthier. At first only the infrastructure changed, better roads and the parks were a little nicer. But then the houses kept getting bigger until they passed compounds that took up nearly a block themselves. Each was essentially a fortress from the past in the middle of the city. He might like living in one, it was something to look into if his location ever leaked to the media.

He'd have to see what Honey's place was like first. He had started fidgeting as soon as they entered this neighborhood, he must live nearby.

The car slowed down and stopped in front of a large, intricate gate that was the entrance to the biggest compound yet. It reminded him of the entrance to the magical district in Kyoto with how it towered over the street. The neighboring compounds were old as well, but this one had a presence that dominated the area. From the moment he stepped outside Harry could sense powerful wards emanating from its walls. He wished he would have had time to examine them further, but Honey's magic pulsed and then the gate cracked open, and he was led inside.

The air at the threshold distorted and then shifted into cultivated jungle, flush with towering trees and colorful flowers that he couldn't identify. A quick glance with his magesight showed that all the plants were magical. All of this had been invisible from outside the compound, he needed to look into compressing space on such a large scale. If all of the magical territories in Japan were like this… he needed to learn to do it himself. The manor wasn't even visible from where they were standing, and there wasn't an end to the forest in sight.

He was definitely interested in owning something like this. If he made it big enough he'd never even have to leave his property to go on long runs.

"How big is it?" Harry asked, his head shifted side to side as he struggled to take it all in at once.

Honey grinned and started walking backwards down a wide, stone path that cut through the foliage. "Twelve-thousand tsubo, or just about ten acres. This is my family's traditional home, those wards have been in place since the eighth century. We were assigned as the guardians of this prefecture and stayed here even when the emperor lived in Kyoto."

They continued walking down the path while Honey told him more of his home's history. Apparently it used to be used as a fortress, and effects of it being the hub of activity could still be seen in the prefectures layout. Harry was so absorbed in the history lesson that he nearly collided with Honey when he abruptly stopped as they passed beneath a tunnel made from willow trees.

Harry opened his mouth to ask what was wrong but Honey's finger shot forward and squished against his lips.

"Shh, stay here for a second, okay?" Honey winked.

Harry nodded and then Honey continued down the path in a casual gait, but he could tell that his body was loose and ready to spring into action. Whatever this was, Harry would let it play out. Honey obviously knew what was going to happen.

When Honey was about twenty meters away, a large white tiger with golden stripes pounced on him from one of the branches hanging over the path.

Harry hadn't sensed it at all.

Honey rolled away from the beast, and when it pounced again he met it with a tackle of his own, got on his back on the ground, and kicked out with both of his legs, launching the tiger up into the air away from him. Then stood back up and laughed.

"You'll have to do better next time, Aisaka-chan!" he shouted. The tiger padded back over to Honey and flopped down on the ground, where it whined until Honey started rubbing its sides. The deep rumble of its purring easily reached Harry's ears, and its tail swished back and forth in contentment.

Harry flicked his wand back into its holster and took a deep breath to calm down; even though Honey knew what was going to happen he couldn't stop himself bringing it out. It was only Honey's confident wink that stopped him trapping the creature with his magic the moment it attacked.

"Harry, come meet Aisaka-chan!" Honey beckoned him forward, and so he approached the duo. The closer he got the more apparent her size became. Even spreading his arms wide and climbing on top of her, Honey couldn't even come close to wrapping his arms all the way around her body for a hug. She must have easily weighed a ton, which was twice as large as muggle tigers, and with her exotic coloring she must be some sort of magical creature.

She and Honey must have been adorable together when he was still small.

She was beautiful, her white fur almost shimmered in the sunlight while her golden stripes seemed to dance with every movement. Harry couldn't help but be nervous as her sharp, violet eyes watched him. They had the weight of a goddess.

Harry met her stare with his own, just as he had with the spirit in the plaza. And although no Legilimency battle took place, he knew that this moment was significant.

Several long minutes later, his eyes began to strain and tear up. He didn't last much longer before he blinked. Aisaka chuffed and rested her head on her paws with a smug quirk of her lips.

Honey bopped her on the head with his fist and jumped off to stand next to Harry. "Why do you do this every time you meet someone, you don't even need to blink!" he scolded. Aisaka turned her head away and looked at a bush, Honey gritted his teeth. "This is why I don't introduce you to more people, you Baka-Neko!"

Harry snorted, they were just like him and Hedwig, except with a reversed size difference and wrestling matches.

"Harii, do you want to touch her?" Honey asked. "If she didn't like you it'd be obvious by now." Then he leaned forward and whispered, "She really likes being rubbed behind her ears."

Even laying down on the ground Aisaka's head was above his waist. He stepped in front of her, so close that her warm breath brushed against his skin, and pressed his hand against the shorter fur on top of her head. It was soft and fluffy, just like the feathers on Hedwig's chest. He ran his fingers through it and bent closer to scratch behind her ear, just like Honey said.

Loud purring rang out from her throat to his ears. Aisaka squinted her eyes and arched her neck into the air, bringing her head to the same level as his own. A grin tugged at his cheeks as he continued the action, and then he stepped closer and rubbed the side of her neck with his other hand. Her fur was a lot thicker and coarser there, his hand could easily disappear if he pressed it in.

"What kind of tiger is she?"

"A Laolong Royal, I familiar bonded with her when I was eleven on a trip to China," Honey answered.

"I'm sure there's more to the story than that, I'd like to hear it someday," Harry said, still petting the tiger. "We should get going though."

"Yeah, I guess we should," Honey sighed. They continued down the path with Aisaka walking beside them. Occasionally she would swipe at Honey, who would dodge and try to pull her tail. Aisaka was good at distracting Honey from worrying about the meeting, she pestered him whenever he got a little too quiet and stared off into space and brought him back to reality. He'd have to remember that technique for the future.

Aisaka ran back into the jungle at the sight of the first building, apparently she wasn't joining them inside.

Honey's home was a Japanese castle, complete with a wooden frame and an angular, sloping roof for each floor. Long one-story buildings flanked the structure to create a courtyard that had a well-manicured lawn. Honey gave him a small tour as he guided him toward the main building, one of the smaller buildings was a dojo and the other an armory. There were similar structures behind the castle that contained a greenhouse and a barracks, although they were now unused.

A long, drawn-out yell came from the main building and a young teen with glasses came running out. He launched himself into the air towards them and prepared a flying kick, but before he even came close to reaching them Honey grabbed the leg and pinned the boy to the ground. The boy stopped struggling after Honey mock-chopped his neck.

"Not now, Chika-chan," Honey said. "We have a meeting with Tou-san."

"This is your brother?" Harry asked, and Honey nodded. "It's nice to meet you, Yasuchika-san."

Chika ignored him and brushed the dirt off his clothes as he stood up. "This is him?" he gestured toward Harry.

Honey swatted his brother's hand away and crossed his arms. "Yes. Harii's my soulmate."

"Is he even out of middle school? He's barely taller than me."

" _He_  is right here," Harry snapped. Yasuchika was only startled for a moment before he finally turned toward him.

"What kind of alien are you?" Yasuchika crouched forward on the balls of his feet, as if he was expecting another fight. Harry kept his body loose just in case the taller boy launched forward.

"Well… I'm from England," he said.

"I know that, but what kind of  _alien_  are you?"

"A legal one."

A vein pulsed in the middle of Yasuchika's forehead, Honey didn't seem fazed by his younger brother's strange questions.

"No! I mean Extra-Terrestrial! What planet are you from? Only another alien could be Nii-san's soulmate!"

Honey failed at hiding his face in his collar. "You're so embarrassing Chika," he whined.

"Why does your brother think you're an alien?" Harry asked.

"I… might have told him that when he was little," his eyes darted down, but the smirk on the corner of his lips ruined the guilty air he was trying to portray. "All the cake I eat only convinced him more, since it's an  _unnatural_  amount."

Both Harry and Honey needed to eat so much sugar because of how large their magical reserves were, but apparently that wasn't common knowledge, even to family members. He patted his pockets to make sure his own stash of sugar was still there: they were. He was currently working his way through some lemon drops that Dumbledore sent him.

He clenched his tongue to the roof of his mouth to stop himself from grinning. He couldn't believe that Yasuchika was still convinced Honey was an alien years later. It was so ridiculous, but somehow made perfect sense at the same time.

"How old are you? I don't think Mitsukuni's mentioned it," he asked Yasuchika.

"Fourteen," the boy fixed his glasses on his nose and sneered at him. "What it matter to an alien like you?"

That was only a year younger than him, maybe a little more depending on when the birthdate. Harry couldn't even begin to relate to that level of naivety. He fought to keep a straight face as he stared at Yasuchika; Sirius always used to tell him to get involved in pranks more often, this was his first time putting those lessons into practice though.

"You know," he drawled. "I eat just as much cake as your brother. Maybe even more."

Yasuchika paled and started backpedaling away from him. "T-that's impossible!" he stammered. "Even when he was still cursed, Aniki once ate three whole cakes in front of me, as a midnight snack!"

Harry licked his lips. "To me that just sounds like… an appetizer." Some cake would actually be good right about now, he couldn't wait to eat the ones he recently baked when he went home.

Yasuchika turned and sprinted back into the house, even enhancing his body with magic to move faster. As soon as he was out of sight Harry couldn't help but giggle. Honey let out full-blown laughter and clutched at his sides.

"He's going to be even worse now, you know." Honey grinned. "Nice work."

"Thanks," Harry grinned back. That's what the kid got for being a brat. That's what he got for ignoring him and making fun of his height. "Your home is very… lively."

That made Honey cringe. "It usually isn't. Let's just head in, we shouldn't keep him waiting any longer."

Honey closed the screen door Yasuchika left open after they entered the building and gave him some uwabaki slippers to put on. Once he was done, and Honey put on his own slippers which were a bright yellow and decorated with pink bunnies, they headed into the center of the building.

They walked in silence, except for their shoes clacking on the hardwood floor. The atmosphere was too serious to try and distract Honey like Aisaka did, or ask questions about his home. He wanted to know where Honey's room was, or more about the paintings on the walls. Many were composed only of ink and had an ancient presence, the preservation charms on the canvases proved that they were antiques. While some of their details moved, like cherry-blossoms floating in the wind or a rolling wave, there were no portraits like there were in the manors of Europe.

Honey stopped in the middle of the hallway, a large screen door flanked by two statues of dragons occupied the wall up ahead. "That's his office," Honey said. "Are you ready?"

"I guess so," Harry shrugged. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

Honey shook his head, and they crossed the final few feet. Honey knocked once on the wooden frame, and then slid open the door.

The smell of parchment hit Harry's nose. A large, low table dominated the center of the room, filled with stacks of papers and scrolls, but other than that the room was sparse. Honey's father was sitting in seiza before it and with a long quill in his hand. He set it down and then gestured for them to sit down on the mats on the other side of the table, Harry followed Honey's example and sat in seiza as well.

Honey's father was a large, muscular man with a neatly trimmed beard. Even with both of them sitting Harry had to tilt his head upward to meet his gaze. He must tower over everyone when standing, just like Mori-senpai. The man's muscles seemed to cut through his formal yukata, and the hint of grey in his hair gave him a distinguished air. Despite the few wrinkles on his face there was no doubt the man was still formidable despite no longer being in his prime. But most importantly… his eyes were just like Dumbledore's.

Filled with regret.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Potter-san," his deep voice reverberated throughout the room even though he was speaking softly. "I am Yorihisa Haninozuka."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Haninozuka-sama," he answered. It was no surprise that he knew exactly who Harry was.

The tension in the air was almost tangible. Honey's face was unusually stoic, he seemed just as uncomfortable as himself.

"Mitsukuni," Yorihisa began. "Please excuse us."

"Tou-san?" Honey's face broke into confusion, and gave Harry a worried glance. He smiled in reassurance and nodded. He wasn't afraid of being alone in a room with Honey's father.

He had a few questions of his own to ask as well.

Honey excused himself from the room and sealed the door behind him, though his face was wound with concern the whole way. Harry turned back toward Yorihisa who was watching him with a composed gaze that must have taken years of politics to master. Harry had never managed to produce a look like that, no matter how much McGonagall made him practice.

"Do you enjoy tea, Potter-san?"

"I do."

Yorihisa nodded and waved his hand, summoning a freshly-made pot of tea from the corner. Two cups followed, and the pot poured the drinks while hovering in the air. Yorihisa manually manipulated his magic to do this, instead of using a charm. It was an impressive show of control, and an obvious power-move. But it was nice to know he wasn't the only one in Japan that used wandless magic all the same.

After Honey's father picked up his own cup, Harry did so as well and blew on the drink's surface to cool it down before he took a sip. It was a blend of green tea, and he let the liquid rest on his tongue for a moment before he swallowed. He didn't taste any poisons; he doubted it would have been there but it never hurt to check. He set his cup back on the table.

"What is the purpose of this meeting, Haninozuka-sama?" he asked. The sooner this finished, the sooner Honey would stop pacing in the hallway. Even if a silencing spell automatically went up when the office's door shut, that didn't stop him from feeling the vibrations Honey's feet made.

"Straight to the point it is, and please, call me Yorihisa," he folded his large hands on the surface of the table and locked his eyes with Harry's. "I know my eldest son and I are no longer close. I am very happy that he has finally found his soulmate and broken the curse, even if you find it hard to believe. I would like to get a sense of your personality, to know the person who compliments his Guardian Soul."

Harry swallowed to clear the sudden uneasiness in his throat. "What do you mean, guardian soul?"

"I'm surprised you haven't heard about this yet, though Mitsukuni has told me that you were ignorant of even the concept of soulmates. Eastern Magical Society has always had a great interest in the soul, and studies have been done since ancient times to better understand it. One of the things discovered is that a soul has an archetype that influences a person's instincts. Mitsukuni is a Guardian, a protector. There are seven kinds."

Honey did tend to put himself between Harry and any potential danger, like with Matoba or his brother's ambush. He would need to look into this further on his own, just in case Yorihisa was trying to mislead him. "How do I find out my archetype?"

"There is a test done with gems that resonate with the different archetypes, you can get it done at any magical hospital."

He'd talk to Masako about getting it done later; he didn't like not knowing something so significant about himself, even it turned out to be phony.

"Now… Harri-kun," Yorihisa leaned forward. "What are your plans for the future?"

Harry squared his shoulders. "I'm currently a magical-consultant for the government, as I'm sure you know."

"But is that what you want to do for the rest of your life? Don't you aspire for anything more now that you've defeated your Dark Lord?"

"I'm content with my life as it is." He didn't need anything else. He had his work, Hedwig, and anonymity; no one ever accepted his answer though. By Yorihisa's speculative glance he didn't either.

"Well then… how about a game?" Honey's father slapped his hand on the table and transfigured some of the stray papers on his desk into a stone board with a grid carved on its surface, and small tiles arranged themselves on either side.

"A game of chess?"

"Not chess, shogi, though the games are quite similar. I have always believed that a person's true character is shown in conflict, whether physical or mental. And since it would hardly be fair for you to face me in a physical fight, or from the stories I have heard of me against you in a magical duel, this seemed the best alternative."

He wasn't sure whether it was a good thing or not that the man respected his magical abilities enough to avoid a duel with him when he was clearly talented himself. His teachers over the years had a similar philosophy, and in general he agreed with it himself.

One game couldn't hurt, and hopefully he would learn something about the other man as well.

"Then you will have to explain the rules, Yorihisa-sama."

Yorihisa guided him through the basic rules of the game, and how it was related to chess. They really were quite similar, shogi just put its own spin on the game. Or maybe chess put its own spin on shogi, he didn't know its history. Either way, the goal was the same: capture the enemy's king.

He was good at that.

It wasn't that difficult to remember the new movements and pieces, but what threw him off was how captured pieces could switch sides. There was nothing like that in chess. So he tried to keep it simple and kept creating threats with his pieces that Yorihisa would have to respond to.

The other man's play was solid, and Harry couldn't get any obvious advantage. He was sure that the man was taking it a little easy on him since he was unfamiliar with the game, and was sure that he would play completely different against an opponent of a similar skill level.

Now he was determined to study the game, just in case they played another game. He didn't like to lose.

He committed to an all-in attack that Yorihisa disassembled in a few turns, and then he resigned. It was over; he couldn't see anything that could help him salvage his pieces, and with that disadvantage he was a goner in the endgame, if he could even hold on long enough to make it there before a forced mate.

"Thank you for the game," Harry briefly bowed his head. Haruhi had told him that was the polite thing to do after a game in Japan, he and Dumbledore never bothered with stuff like that.

"You as well," Yorihisa said. "Your attacks were very impressive for a new player to the game, the last in particular was quite difficult to parry."

They had both taken frequent drinks during the game and now the teapot was empty, which meant their meeting wouldn't last much longer. Even though he hadn't been able to learn much about him from their game, just that he had a sense of honor which Honey alluded to since he didn't play his hardest against a new player. But a direct approach was always available, especially now that he had let the man have his fun.

Harry locked their eyes together. "Yorihisa-sama, why have you ignored your son ever since he was cursed?"

The regret that was concealed in his eyes came back in full force at his words, they were previously only like that when Honey was in the room. His face seemed to deflate, and a moment later he turned his head down toward his lap.

"I… I no longer have the right to call myself Mitsukuni's father, not after what I caused. He's better off without me, the strength he now has is proof of that."

"So it's all because you blame yourself for the incident?" Harry tapped on the wooden table while he waited for an answer. He wanted clarification before he proceeded any further.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

"Yes."

Sometimes people frustrated him. Now was one of those times.

"You know, I grew up alone. Sure, I lived with family, but they hated me, being alone would have been an improvement to my situation. Neither is something I would wish on anyone."

He clenched his hands into fists to avoid the memories trying to surface, they weren't worth remembering.

"Sir, I've only known your son for a week, but I can guarantee that he would have rather you been there for him, rather than hiding away in your shame for the past seven years."

Yorihisa's posture turned inward like he was about to break out in tears, which would be disturbing to see on such a large man. Harry didn't like watching people cry.

"What would you have me do?" his voice cracked like a broken gong. "My time as his father is over."

"He thinks you hate him."

"I love him!"

"Then tell him!" Harry shouted back. "It's never too late to fix your mistake, not while you're still alive. You're lucky to still have this chance. My parents are dead… I'd give almost anything to be able to talk with them, even if they hated me."

He stood up off the ground and turned toward the door. "I'm sending Honey in, settle this now, there's no point waiting any longer to repair your relationship that never should have been broken in the first place."

"Harri," Yorihisa's voice stopped him a foot from the door. "Thank you."

Harry turned his head back around. Yorihisa was even larger standing up, and now a steadfast determination filled the void his shame had created.

And they had hope.

Harry slid open the door, startling Honey who had been waiting right outside it. "You two need to have a talk," he said. "Go on in, I'll be around when you're done. Find me with this." He tapped his nose and gave Honey a small smile. Honey was confused but went into the office anyway, and shut the door behind him.

Harry let out a sigh. Even Yorihisa-sama. No one in Japan was ever going to get his name right, except Kyouya-san.

He wandered back down the hallway he came from and went outside, if he went anywhere else he was bound to get lost, and enjoying nature was always a good way to spend his time. Maybe he'd run into Aisaka-chan.

The sun started to set, he was looking forward to eating something when he got home. He'd done all he could to help repair Honey's relationship with his father, all that was left was their current conversation. Maybe he could have been a little gentler making his points, but like Yorihisa noted at the beginning of their meeting, he was a direct person. It seemed like worked as well as anything else could have.

He found the greenhouse behind the castle, but didn't go inside. Instead he went farther into the jungle. There were a few stone paths that cut their way through it, just like the one that brought him to the castle from the entrance, and he was curious to see where they went. More than that though, he enjoyed being surrounded by the earthy smell of the plants. He hadn't experienced anything like it since his walks through the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, and that was almost a year ago now.

The path opened up into grassy meadow speckled with purple and blue flowers. Aisaka's white and gold form was laying down in the center of it, stretched out and sunning herself. Harry sat down next to her and rubbed her head, and smiled when her purr filled the clearing. He soon laid down on the grass and joined her in enjoying the sun.

"Harii?" a voice called out some time later.

He opened his eyes to see Honey standing over him. The sky behind his silhouette was a dark purple, he sat up and found that it was sunset. He hadn't meant to nap for that long.

Harry blinked the drowsiness out of his eyes, and fog around his head dispersed. Honey's eyes were red and his whole body seemed to sag.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"I yelled at him," Honey's voice was drained. "He's an idiot."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. He hadn't expected the conversation between them to be smooth, but it was evidently stormier than he had expected. "Do you think things will be better now?"

Honey closed his eyes, his nose crinkled as he thought over the question. "Yeah, I think it will be. Not right away, but eventually." That's all Harry needed to hear, that their relationship was on track to being fixed. When Honey first told him that his relationship with his family was strained, Harry knew he wouldn't be able to stand by without trying to fix it.

He stood up and grabbed Honey's hand. "Come back to my place, I have a surprise for you."

"Harii!" Honey's hand jerked in his grip but he didn't pull it away, and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks.

"What?"

Honey's lips pressed together in a faint line and then he stared at the ground, refusing to answer him. Aisaka stood up and she edged in front of them, rubbing against Honey and forcing him out of his locked stance and closer to Harry.

"Aisaka-chan!" Honey protested. The large tiger ignored him and licked his head, making his blonde hair stick straight up into the air. Harry couldn't help but giggle at the sight, between their antics and the magical endorphins surging through his body from his close contact with Honey it was no wonder he was in a good mood.

Aisaka licked his face. Her tongue was wet and rough like sandpaper; his skin felt raw in the path it left behind, and she hadn't even put much force in it.

"Aisaka!" he rubbed the saliva off with his sleeve. Now he'd have to take another shower today. The large tiger huffed in laughter and turned away, brushing their bodies with her trailing tail and leapt back into the jungle.

"Baka-Neko," Honey said after she was gone. Harry wholeheartedly agreed.

"Lead the way. Call your limo or whatever, unless you want to Apparate," Harry said.

"Eh? You should lead since you're the one with the surprise."

Harry averted his eyes and pulled at the hem of his shirt with his free hand. "I don't know the way back," he mumbled.

Honey smirked all the way back to the car, and never let go of his hand just in case he "got lost again".

* * *

The ride back was silent, and Harry watched the vanishing sunset through the tinted windows. It was dark by the time they made it back, but the traces of sadness had also left Honey's eyes. He still wasn't smiling, but Harry was hoping that would change in a few minutes. They hiked up the complex's stairs and greeted Hedwig once they stepped inside. Harry stopped Honey in his place in the living room.

"Close your eyes," he commanded.

Honey raised an eyebrow but did as he instructed. He waved his hand in front of Honey's eyes to be sure he couldn't see and then pulled him into the kitchen.

"Are you ready?" Harry asked.

"Yep!" Honey nodded.

Harry smiled and stepped to the side, opening the refrigerator as he did so. "Ok, open your eyes!"

Honey opened his eyes and they immediately widened with awe. "Harii…" his grin widened with every second he spent staring. "It's beautiful."

Inside the fridge, the shelves were cleared except for rows and rows of cake that Harry had baked throughout the week. To avoid monotony he had made every kind he could, twice.

"I'll make some tea and then we can get started," Harry grinned and turned toward the sink. Honey's body collided with his own and he found himself in a hug.

"Thank you Harii, you're the best." Honey's face was inches from his own, and his eyes were shining with sincerity. He quickly broke away to hide his blush, despite how warm the hug made him feel, and fixed his glasses which had gotten jostled in the embrace.

"You're welcome."

It was worth it to see that smile on Honey's face.

Honey helped him bring it all into the living room and soon his table was soon piled high with all the different flavors of cake, with a pot of tea in the middle. It was just like at the bakery, except without the kittens. He wasn't sure if being in the safety of his home made up for their absence or not.

"Itadakimasu!" Honey shouted, and then dove into his portion. He inhaled three slices in less than a minute. Harry started on his own, and then they were both lost to the sugary bliss of their meal.

Harry reached for the last slice of chocolate cake, but the plate rose into the air and floated away from him. Honey had his arm reached out and was levitating it toward him with wandless magic. Harry swiftly held out his own hand and stopped it in its tracks.

"You can use wandless magic too?" he asked.

"Just a little," Honey's voice was strained, he obviously wasn't as good at it as Harry was, but he wasn't willing to pull harder and risk damaging the cake.

The  _thunk_  of a bag hitting the ground sounded on the living-room floor. Startled, Harry released his magic and turned toward the noise. The piece of cake smashed into Honey's face.

Haruhi was standing a few feet from them, jaw hanging open from shock. "You- you-," her hand shook as it pointed at them. "You were making the cake float!"

Harry should have locked his door. Honey was rubbing frosting out of his eyes, he turned back toward Haruhi.

"Surprise!" he threw his hands up into the air. "Magic is real!" Haruhi remained frozen, mouth hanging wide open in disbelief.

Hedwig landed on her arm in greeting as if nothing was wrong.

 

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A/N: Sorry it took so long for this update! Life happens, but now that the semester is over I'll be trying to post more frequently again. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews, follows, and favorites you've left in the meantime though, writing this story is much more fun knowing I'm not the only one enjoying it!

Also, do you think it could use another genre tag? I was thinking either Humor or Friendship. Let me know what you think!


	7. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Ouron High School Host Club.

* * *

Chapter Seven

The air in his apartment was filled with an anxious, oppressive weight.

"So… you're both wizards." Haruhi took a long drink of her tea, and shuffled her cake around her plate.

"That's right!" Honey had gotten the frosting out of his eyes, but flecks were still smudged on his cheeks.

Haruhi was taking the news way too well. Harry was still waiting for an outburst, but she'd been calm ever since she gotten over her initial shock. He'd imagined this scenario to involve a lot more shouting. She turned to him, there was a hint of hurt in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

He didn't know what to say, there wasn't any one reason. It was irrational, but what if she turned out like the Dursleys and rejected him? And it was illegal for muggles to know, all that found out had to be obliviated.

Honey's defense of Harry, and his explanation of the secrecy laws, became muted.

Now that Haruhi knew about magic, she would be obliviated.

Harry shot up from the table with his wand in hand, and started casting wards. Anti-apparation, anti-portkey, and the strongest magical barrier he knew. The Japanese aurors could arrive any minute and he needed to buy them as much time as he could to pack. His magical output was so large he was sure that even Haruhi could see the threads of magic being woven into the walls of his apartment.

"What is he doing?"

"Casting wards, magical protections. I don't know why."

Hedwig hooted.

Harry sheathed his wand and activated his magesight so he could see all the threads, and worked to weave the protections together. His fingertips touched the concentrated threads of magic, even though it stung. He needed the extra speed ten digits provided, instead of the one connection he'd have with his wand.

"Should we stop him?"

"No, that could be dangerous. He should be finished soon."

Hedwig hooted again.

The magic of each ward clashed together - it was a sloppy job but the fusion of each protection was steady. Without them all there were too many weaknesses any competent curse-breaker could find with standard scans.

Harry lowered his hands and took a moment to catch his breath. The pain stemming from his fingers could wait behind his Occulumency walls. He grabbed Haruhi's hand and drug her to the side of the living room, and vanished the wall between their apartments, revealing Haruhi's well-made bed and tidy bedroom behind it.

"I've bought us some time, but pack as quickly as you can. Only the essentials, anything else we can get on the road," he ordered.

"Woah, stop." Haruhi pulled her arm free and stepped back. "Why do we need to go on the run?" She, Hedwig, and Honey had confusion and concern mixed together on their faces.

"You saw magic! Now they're going to come for you! We need to get moving!"

"Who?" Haruhi and Honey voiced the question at the same time.

"The Obliviator Squads! You're a muggle, you saw magic, and now they're going to come to wipe your memory!"

Honey's face twisted with disgust. "They still use Obliviation on muggles in England, don't they?"

Harry nodded.

"Those barbarians," Honey shook his head. "We don't obliviate muggles in Japan if they find out about magic, there's just a secrecy oath. And paperwork. A lot of paperwork."

"Oh," Harry's face rushed with heat. He'd done all of that for nothing.

"Would they have really wiped my memory in England?" Haruhi's hands were clasped together, and her bottom lip was pinched between her teeth.

"Unfortunately," Honey said. "Most of Europe is the equivalent to a magical third-world country. They produce strong wizards and witches, but their culture is stuck in the Victorian Age, have horrible human rights, and reject nearly all forms of progress. We can't even export technology that works with magic there. Only… France and Scandinavia have made any progress in the last few decades." Learning how backward England was compared to the rest of the world once he got to Japan was what made him buy so many books. If they were behind culturally, who knows what other advancements they missed out on as well.

Haruhi gave Harry a quick hug and patted his hand. "Thank you for being willing to go on the run with me, but please explain yourself first before dissolving my wall next time."

Harry let out a nervous laugh. "Right, next time."

"You  _can_  fix my wall though, right?"

Honey conjured a stone barrier between the rooms and transfigured it to look like the other walls. "That'll do for now, but we should make sure you didn't get rid of any critical wires or plumbing tomorrow."

"That's good enough, I guess," Haruhi said. They went back to the table and slid into the cushions, and Harry waved over a fresh pot of tea. The sooner they moved on, the better.

"So magic, unicorns, spirits, and who knows what else are real. I'm guessing your move to Japan wasn't normal either?"

"Not exactly," Harry said. "It  _was_  technically for work, I'm a magical consultant for your government. But the reasoning is more like political asylum."

Haruhi's eyes widened. " _Why_  do you need political asylum?"

His response caught in his throat. Honey asked permission to continue with his large, brown eyes. Harry nodded.

"Haru-chan, the magical world isn't a utopia. Evil wizards exist, and with enough power they can be like super-villains. Eastern Magical Society has been stable ever since the Second World War, but Europe has been plagued by a series of dark lords for centuries."

Harry traced his finger along his wand's handle. Magic accomplished great things indeed, Ollivander. Terrible, but great.

He closed his eyes.

Honey's voice was solemn. "England, and the rest of Europe, has been in at war for decades caused by the Dark Lord Voldemort. Harii almost single-handedly destroyed his army, and then killed him."

A cup crashed against the table and then dropped to the floor.

"But he's only fifteen! Why was he even fighting?"

"Power is something you're born with, Harii is one of the most powerful wizards to have ever come out of Europe. There wasn't anyone else who could challenge the Dark Lord." That was true, the only other person remotely close to their power was Dumbledore, but he had been too old to fight often. In the end, it was only a century of knowledge and skill that made him a terror on the battlefield.

"That doesn't excuse anything, he was just a kid!"

Harry's age stopped being important the day he killed Quirrel.

"It wasn't that simple," he finally interrupted, and opened his eyes. Haruhi's face was red and her eyes blazed with anger. "There was a prophecy. He would have come after me no matter what, we were destined to face each other. Fighting was my only option."

"Someone else should have taken care of it. What about your government?"

"Corrupt and infiltrated by his agents. Once I defeated him, the public was scared I would turn out like him. I couldn't leave my home without being harassed, so I came here."

Haruhi gritted her teeth. "You didn't even get their thanks? You're a hero!"

"I didn't do it for their thanks, and they had the right to be scared. One wizard can be worth more than an army. I showed them that. After being terrorized by Voldemort for decades of course they're scared of that kind of power."

Hedwig nuzzled his side, he patted her head in thanks. Everything would be easier if he could give some of it up and just be a normal, albeit talented, wizard. He wouldn't have to worry about his core exploding, and others wouldn't have to worry about him doing more damage than a nuclear bomb. One person shouldn't have that much power, but he did. Now all he needed to do was forget about it and try to move on with his life.

"I'm in Japan now, and with any luck I'll never go back to England. I don't have to worry about them or their fears anymore. I can be normal, or at least, as normal as I can be."

Haruhi sniffled and wiped her eyes before responding. "You call this normal? You're a fifteen-year-old shut-in who doesn't even go to school. I get that your magical education is done, but what about a normal education? You could come to school with us."

"Yeah!" Honey said. "I know you're advanced in math from your spellcrafting, but what about history, art, or music? Come to Ouron with us!"

"No way!" Harry made a cross with his arms over his chest. "I can barely go out in public, I couldn't go to a school! I'd have a panic attack before the first class started!"

"Well… that is a problem," Haruhi said. "But you should still keep up with those subjects. They're important for many careers." She paused and folded her hand under her chin. "Does the wizarding world even need those subjects?" she asked Honey. "Hari's working now based on his magical talents alone."

"And math," he added. He'd struggled through too many problem sets to let her forget about that.

"Of course we do!" Honey said. "England's a bit different, but magicals are pretty integrated with the muggle world here. We still need accountants, lawyers, and more. You don't need magic to do those jobs. Squibs, non-magicals born to magical parents, usually go into those careers."

Haruhi furrowed her brows together and looked down with lidded eyes - after a moment she looked back up. "Could a non-magical person work in your world?"

"I don't see why not," Honey shrugged.

"Well… magical court cases sound like they might be more interesting than mundane ones. I could be a lawyer there as well as anywhere else."

"Haru-chan, that's brilliant!" Honey was so excited he was bouncing in his seat, and Harry perked up. If Haruhi wanted to be a part of the magical world he wouldn't have to hide any part of his life from her.

"You really think so?" Haruhi squirmed. "I mean… I just found out about this world, there's still so much I don't know."

"You can learn! And you're definitely smart enough to make the cut!" Honey said. Harry nodded in agreement.

"I'm going to need books, lots of books. Hari can teach me about magic, but it doesn't look like he knows anything about magical culture, or even non-magical culture for that matter."

"True." Honey nodded. "I can get you what you need, and we can go on field trips! You'll catch up in no time!"

"Hey! I know some culture," Harry interrupted. It wasn't like he lived under a rock.

"Oh yeah?" Haruhi asked. "What's your favorite movie? Do you even know what a movie is?"

Harry pointedly looked to the side. "I know what movies are, I've just never seen one." The Dursleys kicked him out of the room whenever they watched one, whenever he got to sneak a look at the TV it was always the news or one of Dudley's weird, colorful cartoons.

"Wait, really?" Haruhi blinked. "What kind of kid has never seen a movie?"

"They've just never interested me." He would have watched them if he could, but at this point he'd gone without them for so long that he didn't care enough to go see one.

"Ah," Honey clapped his fist into an open palm. "So you've always been a nerd."

"Whatever," Harry sniffed. The sooner they stopped talking about his childhood, the better. "What are your favorite movies then?"

"I like comedies," Haruhi said.

"Scary movies! The gorier the better!" Honey said.

He and Haruhi simultaneously raised their eyebrows, and then turned to Honey. "Really?" Harry asked.

"Mhmm, they're fun!" Honey smiled, if the lighting was a little different it'd look creepy. "They make your heart race with adrenaline, I hardly ever get that rush in real life anymore."

Harry knew first-hand how addicting the rush of battle could be, even if he hated it. He could see how getting some imitation of that in normal life could be fun. Honey must not get missions very often anymore if he was that desperate for excitement.

"I thought you would have liked cuter movies, like romances," Haruhi said.

"Ah," Honey tubbed the hem of his shirt between his thumbs, "I didn't like romances much until recently. I never thought I'd have a love story like that."

"What changed?" Haruhi asked.

Honey blushed and shot him a glance. Judging from the tilt of her head, Haruhi wouldn't let it go. Harry sighed into his lap and gestured for him to continue.

"Well… Harii-chan and I are soulmates."

Haruhi choked on her next breath. "You're serious? Soulmates exist too, and you're…?"

"Ah, yeah," Harry said. They might as well get everything out in the open now.

"So… you two are dating?" Haruhi leaned forward in excitement. "I saw you leave together the day after the trip, and earlier today as well."

Harry ended that train of thought before she could go any further. "I don't want to date  _anyone_ , we're just friends," he said. Dating anyone would just be… weird. "We found out about this at Nekozawa's manor."

"Yeah, we're just friends!" Honey echoed.

"But this is like the stories too, right? You two are destined for each other?"

"Maybe, I didn't know about soulmates before then either," Harry said. "Our magic kind of… reacts to each other. Like an endorphin high." It was still a little unsettling how  _right_  it felt when that happened, but he was starting to get used to it.

Honey wrung his hands together. "Well, there is more to it than that," he mumbled. "But that's the basics."

Haruhi groaned, and slowly hoisted herself off the ground. "That's enough revelations for one day, I can find out the rest later. Honey-senpai, can you walk me out? It's late, you should probably head home too."

After everything with Haruhi, it was almost easy to forget about the trip to Honey's estate earlier that day, and the meeting with his father. Harry was ready to sleep at any time, Honey probably felt the same.

"Sure!" Honey met her at the door and Harry deactivated the wards. Hedwig hooted goodbye.

"Night Hedwig, night Harii!" Honey waved. Harry said goodnight back.

As soon as the door closed, he waved the dirty dishes into the kitchen, and summoned his medical kit for some Essence of Dittany. Each drop he put on his fingertips stung, but if he didn't take care of those magical burns before he went to bed he could end up with nerve damage.

He had plenty of scars on his body already, there was no need to add more.

* * *

Once the door closed behind them, Honey was pulled away from Harii's door and then pinned against the wall. Not physically pinned, but with her hands locked on her hips as Haruhi stared him down, her presence blocked all exits.

"You lied in there, about being  _just friends_  with Hari. Why?"

Honey rubbed the back of his neck, he shouldn't have been surprised she saw through him. He'd seen many examples of her perceptiveness with the Hosts, but with so many bombshells being thrown at her tonight he'd hoped she wouldn't notice.

"Harii just wants to be friends, so that's all we'll be." His words left a sour taste in his mouth, but he needed to say them out loud. Maybe then he'd start to accept them.

"So you do like him. Do you love him? You've only known him for a week."

Honey's laugh was empty, trust Haruhi to get right to the point. "This hasn't been anything like the stories, every single time soulmates meet it's love at first sight. I thought I loved him when I figured it out at the manor, but I scared him off, almost for good. I was too overbearing, and Harii had no idea what was going on. That wasn't love, I was just so excited to meet who I thought I'd spend the rest of my life with."

Harii got along great with Aisaka, made peace between him and his father, and even teased his brother. He was an amazing cook, was adorable whenever he was around any animals, and his shyness in public made Honey want to squeeze him in a big hug and guard him forever in his room. Despite his bloody past, Harii was trying to move forward with his life, and Honey was lucky to be a part of that.

"How could I not love him now, after I got to know him? He's amazing Haru-chan, better than all my fantasies, but I don't think he'll ever feel the same way."

There had never been a case of soulmates being purely platonic, one way or another they always ended up together. But if Harii wasn't interested… all he could do was spend as much time with him as he could. As a friend.

"Why do you look so hopeless?" Haruhi's words were like a punch to the gut, and her innocent, optimistic eyes made it like a stab wound.

Honey clenched his fist. "I just explained, Harii will never love me- "

"You do realize he's only fifteen, right?"

Honey froze, and Haruhi set her jaw and looked him in the eyes.

"From the sound of it, he's never even thought of love before, or romance," she continued. "I always knew he was a bit sheltered, but he was also a child soldier. It makes me wonder, does he even know what it feels like to have a crush? I doubt it." She winked and stepped back. "Give him some time, you might be surprised."

By the time she was done Honey felt like he was floating. It only took her a few sentences to lift the dread that had been building on his shoulders, that even with the curse gone he'd be alone. She was right, he was rushing things again, just like at the mansion. Whether or not he and Harii ended up together, it had to develop in its own time. Harii wasn't ready for that now, he needed to accept that. But that didn't mean that there wasn't a chance.

Honey picked Haruhi up in his arms and swung her around in a hug.

"I have such a smart kohai!" Haruhi flailed in his arms. "You're the best Haru-chan!"

"You're welcome senpai, now put me down!"

* * *

The next day Masako brought Haruhi a magical contract, and she devoured it - questioning every clause and asking for references before she signed it. Even though she didn't have any magic of her own, the power of the contract was sufficient to make sure she couldn't tell anyone. Harry wanted to take her on a trip to the magical district to celebrate, but she had too much forgotten homework from the day before so they put those plans on hold.

And after learning he had been reading magical textbooks and  _not_  fantasy stories like she'd thought, Haruhi scolded him for working too hard and made him read her copy of  _The Lord of the Rings_ , which he devoured in just a few days. Then he went out and bought a pipe. Two pipes, in fact. One for himself, and one for Dumbledore's Christmas gift. They were made from an ancient cherry tree that had been struck by lightning and enchanted to vanish all smoke they expelled after five seconds. He loved the heroic journey that Frodo went on, but it also taught him a very important lesson.

Every wizard needed a pipe. The cool ones did, anyway.

Haruhi's nose crinkled at him from behind the wall of her schoolwork she'd neglected in favor of learning about magic. "You do know that smoking is bad for you, right?"

Harry puffed out another attempt at a smoke ring, but it came out in a small cloud instead. At least he didn't cough up his lungs when he inhaled anymore.

"How so?" He tried again, his second attempt didn't turn out any better.

"They'll give you lung cancer, and tobacco has nicotine which will make you addicted."

"The pipe takes care of it." He idly bounced the pipe on his fingers. "You know, I don't actually know if wizards get cancer. I've never heard about it happening, but I can't say I've studied much healing magic."

"Seriously? That's so unfair."

"Eh, we've got our own share of nasty diseases. My grandfather died of Dragon Pox, I think that one still doesn't have a cure."

As he exhaled this time, Harry puffed the smoke into a sphere of magic, touched its opposite sides together, and widened the point into a hole to shape. What was left was a donut. "Look Haruhi, I did it!"

She glanced up at his ring, unimpressed. "I don't even have to have magic to know you cheated."

"So what?" Harry pouted. "Just because I used magic means it doesn't count?"

"Do it properly, if you're going to take up such a toxic habit you might as well do it right."

Harry sighed, shifted back upright on the couch, and went back to practicing. After an hour his attempts started to look more like flimsy disks. He wished Haruhi would finish her homework soon so he could take her to Kyoto, but at this rate the trip would have to wait until next weekend.

Honey's magical presence filled the perimeter of his wards; as he looked up at his door Honey burst in carrying a bag. It whirled in the air as he spun around until his eyes landed on him and Haruhi. Harry waved and blew another smoke ring in the air, hoping to show off, but this one was just as deformed as the others.

Honey rushed forward and snatched the pipe from his mouth. "Harii! What are you doing, don't you know smoking is bad for you!"

"The saleswoman said the pipe makes it non-toxic though." Honey's nose scrunched up in disgust, Harry wanted to poke it. Aisaka's did the same thing when she sniffed a flower she didn't agree with.

"Besides," he continued. "I need it to look cool."

In the silence that followed he summoned the pipe back to his hand.

"No you don't! Where did you get that idea?" Honey threw his arms up in the air and paced around the room. Harry didn't see what the big deal was, but Honey's reaction almost made him smirk.

He held up Haruhi's copy of  _The Fellowship of the Ring,_  Honey promptly turned and glared at her. "This is your fault."

Haruhi shrunk behind her tower of books. "When I made him read that, I thought he'd be inspired by the heroics - the triumph over evil and all that. Not the bad habits of a hobo wizard."

"Gandalf's my favorite character, he's not a hobo!"

"Doesn't matter!" Honey said. "You need balanced meals, not toxic smoke!"

"The pipe gets rid of the toxic smoke," he smirked. "I bought a variety pack of herbs if tobacco bothers you that much though."

Honey bristled, he was obviously itching to snatch the pipe back so Harry scooted farther back into the couch. "Fine, at least smoke something else, please."

"Fine." Harry snapped his fingers and switched the tobacco for another herb that came with his purchase. A quick application of fire relit it, and then he blew another smoke ring.

Honey pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "I'm going to find some potions for you to take anyway."

"Good idea," Haruhi said.

"Whatever," Harry set his pipe down on the table and held it still until he was sure it wouldn't fall over and turned back to Honey. "What's the occasion?"

Honey pulled a stack of small, rectangular boxes out of his bag. Each of them had a picture around their frame, but Harry couldn't make out what the words on them said.

"It's movie night!" Honey grinned.

So those were what movies looked like. Harry figured they'd watch some eventually, but not the day after Harry mentioned he hadn't seen one.

"Sounds fun, but Haruhi needs to finish her homework," he said. "Also I don't have a TV."

Honey's head shot up and he looked around the room to double-check. Once done, his shoulders slumped and he jotted something down in a small notepad.

"What's that?" Harry asked.

"The list of things you need to do to catch up in the twenty-first century," Honey said. "It's a long list. You need to have more fun!"

Harry crossed his arms, he had plenty of fun on his own, it's not like he spent worked every hour of the day. He played chess too.

"If there are more books like  _this_ ," Harry gestured to  _The Lord of the Rings_ , "then I don't need movies."

Honey shrugged him off. "You don't know what you're missing, but you will soon! They made those books into movies too you know."

Harry gave the small cases another glance, that would be something he'd like to see. Haruhi tapped her pencil on her lips and gave Honey a long, considering look.

"I have a DVD player," she said. "You could watch them at my place. Dad already left for work, so you'd have the place to yourselves."

"Really Haru-chan? That's perfect! Harii, do you want to go?"

Harry bit the inside of his cheek - watching a movie might be fun, but he wasn't sure about his first experience being one of Honey's horror movies. Watching people die and scream didn't appeal to him, but Honey looked so excited to watch them with him.

"How long are they?"

"Just about an hour and a half, maybe two," Honey said.

"I… I guess I'll watch one, just to see what it's like." He could sit through one movie, even if he didn't like it. He'd rather watch one of the  _Lord of the Rings_  movies though.

"Alright!" Honey pulled him up and handed him the movie cases, and then ran around gathering cushions and blankets in his arms until he looked more like a giant puffball than a person. "Let's go!"

Haruhi waved him off when he looked at her for reassurance. It would be weird being in her apartment without her there. She wasn't bothered by it though, and said she would join them once she finished her work. He had no choice except to cautiously exit his apartment and follow Honey over. Hedwig abandoned her perch and flew out with them.

Once Harry unlocked Haruhi's door, Honey rushed in and dropped his pile in the living room and examined the TV. "This'll work!" he said. "Which one do you want to watch?"

Looking at the covers, Harry didn't have a preference. They were all gloomy with bold red text and an ominous figure in the background. Hedwig was staring intently at the one in the middle.

"This one, I guess," Hedwig followed the case with her eyes as he handed it to Honey. There was more blood drawn on its cover than the others.

"That one's my favorite!" Honey opened the case and set it up in the DVD player. While he did that, Harry arranged the pile of cushions next to each other and wrapped a blanket around himself; if he was going to have to sit through this, he might as well be comfortable. Hedwig hopped into his lap and rested her head against his chest.

Honey turned off the lights and the sat beside him. The screen went dark and ominous music started to reverberate throughout the room as the title sequence played out.

In the first scene, a large man decapitated a screaming babysitter with an axe. Harry winced as her head rolled onto the floor; they had gotten the sound a little too perfect, even if there was an over-abundance of blood.

From there the movie followed the man hunting a family that just moved into an old neighborhood. Even though the action and tension made his heart race, he couldn't stop himself from thinking of spells he would use against the man instead of running away. But whenever anyone stopped and tried to fight, usually in desperation, it just ended in a gory death. Every time that happened Honey would squeal or jump into the air. Watching him was more entertaining than watching the movie.

Hedwig looked like she was enjoying it though, the sadist.

The movie ended with the man killing the last survivor, even though it had seemed like he was already dead. The same ominous music from the beginning played over a black screen and the credits. Harry turned the lights back on with a flick of his hand.

"What did you think?" Honey asked.

"It was fun," Harry shook the blanket off his shoulders. "It would have been better though with a happy ending though, like if that guy stayed dead."

Hedwig screeched in disagreement.

Honey gave her a firm nod. "She's right, it wouldn't be a horror movie if there was a happy ending. Evil is supposed to win in these."

"That's dumb," Harry crossed his arms over his chest. "Why would you want evil to win?"

"It's not like its real, Harii." Honey pouted. "Part of the fun is exploring the worst that could happen."

"Well, it'd be better if it didn't do that." It'd completely ruin the story if Sauron won in  _Lord of the Rings_ , so it was hard to accept something similar happening in other movies making them better.

One of his fluffy pillows smacked him in the face and made him fall back into the cushion.

"Blasphemy!" Honey stood up and held his pillow out like a sword. "Prepare to defend your heretical words!"

Hedwig flew out of his lap as he sat back up. "What are you doing?"

"It's a pillow fight," Honey wilted. "We hit each other with pillows for fun so no one gets hurt."

"Oh." Harry hadn't heard of that before. "Was this on your list?"

Honey tugged his hair over his eyes. "Maybe."

Well… if it was on the list it couldn't hurt to try at least once. Harry slowly stood up and summoned a pillow into his hand, and lowered his voice.

"I speak the truth! But it looks like I will have to show you the way, whether you like it or not!"

He launched himself at Honey and their pillows met in a clash. He paid Honey back by whacking him in the face at the same time a pillow hit his side. It wasn't long into the fight before they both started laughing. Harry liked the way Honey laughed, it abruptly stopped though when one of the pillows burst open and covered the room in feathers. Then they scrambled to vanish them all before Haruhi returned. When she arrived, they blamed the few they couldn't get on Hedwig.

Neither of them were amused.

* * *

The soul archetypes weren't accurate after all.

Masako brought him the gems to find his type, along with his updated citizenship papers. The green peridot lit up when he grabbed it, which meant his soul was the Healer. He had killed too many people to ever be considered a healer. Either it was all bogus or he had faulty gems.

Harry cast another cooling charm on his apartment. It was June now, and the first hot, humid day had arrived. It was almost like a breath of fresh air, except for how detestable it was… he hadn't experienced a day like this in years. It wouldn't be so bad except that his air conditioner didn't work. It was easy to resolve with cooling charms, but the heat made him glad he ran in the morning so he wouldn't have to deal with it later in the day.

His birthday was only two months away, and he still hadn't talked to Honey about what might happen when his magic matured. He'd rather avoid talking about his possible death, but some kind of plan should be made.

Despite that, Harry had a good feeling about this summer. He'd always spent them working for the Dursleys, or non-stop training once he entered Hogwarts. He didn't know what would happen in his future anymore.

But with all the antics Honey got him involved in, he was sure it will be interesting.

* * *

* * *

 

A/N: This chapter was a bit of an accident, but I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did! It wasn't clicking for a while, but I'm happy with how it turned out.


	8. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Ouron High School Host Club.

* * *

Chapter Eight

The forecast said there would be rain, but if Harry ran fast enough it wouldn't matter.

Every stride was a strain on his muscles. He never skipped his morning run, even if it was so dark that he could only see under the streetlight, and the booming thunder made him jump out of his shoes every other minute.

His lungs burned, and every step was a struggle. It was a race to see which would give out first, his body or his will, but he only needed to go a few more blocks and he'd be home. The ground seemed to shake even if it was really his legs, and-

"Morning Harii!"

He stumbled his next step and tripped toward Honey, who had appeared from the alley clutching Usa-chan with a wide smile splitting his face. Harry wind-milled his arms and caught himself a moment before they would have crashed together.

He sent Honey a glare. "Don't do that!"

Honey's smile turned sheepish and he threw his arm up to rub the back of his head. "Sorry, I couldn't help it."

Harry walked up to his apartment– he would need at least twenty more grams of sugar before he could keep up with that much energy. Honey followed with an audible bounce in his steps.

Once inside Hedwig hooted a greeting to Honey while he escaped to his room to grab a change of clothes and shower. The hot water that cascaded down his back was a luxury he never got tired of; he'd indulged in it ever since he started at Hogwarts. It was even better when it washed away the dirt and sweat accumulated from exercise.

He still had some cake in his fridge and piled onto his plate for breakfast, as well as some fruit. It was only after a few bites that he felt ready to rejoin the apartment's other occupants who were in an intense, albeit one-sided, conversation on the couch.

Hedwig was such a chatterbox.

"You're here early, what's up?" Harry interrupted and sat next to them. Hedwig tittered at him from Honey's legs in indignation -he fed her a chunk of apple to appease her.

"Absolutely nothing!" Honey wiggled in his seat and swung Usa-chan around in his arms. "For once my whole day is free, what do you want to do?"

Harry crossed his arms and turned away. "Why are you assuming I didn't have anything planned?"

"Well…. Did you?" Honey's brown eyes focused in on his own. The snappy response he had planned died on his tongue.

"No." Harry slumped in his seat. He didn't even have any projects for Masako. He'd stayed up late to finish the latest last night.

Hedwig chortled at him and Honey giggled. Harry picked at his food until they were done, it wasn't like he  _never_  had anything going on.

"Well we don't have to do anything, I'm fine with just hanging out with you here."

That sounded fun. There wasn't a whole lot to do around here, but he and Honey always seemed to work something out. Would math be fun if they worked on it together? They could also play chess – Honey's father was experienced with shogi so he was probably at least familiar with the game. If all else failed they could watch cute videos on the internet. Who didn't like those?

Actually... he still didn't know a lot about Honey's interests, and vice versa. Did he even like math? And what was he planning to do after high school? His own future was in flux with the uncertainty of his birthday, but Honey must have his own plans.

Honey still didn't know about his rather…  _explosive_  birthday. Harry needed to tell him so they could make plans, and in a way that wouldn't make Honey freak out.

"Hey, Mitsukuni." Honey perked up at his tone. "What would you do if-"

_Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep-_

An alarm blared from within Honey's pocket – he pulled out his phone and his eyes widened. "I have to go!" he sprang from the couch and rushed to the door. "Sorry Harii, we'll talk later!"

Three sharp knocks from outside stopped him in his tracks.

No one randomly showed up at Harry's door beside Honey and Haruhi, and Haruhi was out with her father. Even Masako normally called before she came over. He approached the door and looked through the peephole. Honey tensed beside him - his jovial air had left completely when that alarm went off.

A broad-shouldered man in a military uniform hovered like a statue a few feet from his door. Stress lines cut across his forehead and his age showed in the crinkles around his eyes. Honey leaned close to see for himself, Harry shrugged him off and opened the door.

Honey snapped up a salute.

"Sir!"

"At ease, Mitsukuni. Stay, it's quite convenient you are both together." Honey relaxed, but Harry kept his hand on the door. "Potter-san, do you mind if I step inside? This conversation should be private."

"It's Evans, not Potter," he said. Hedwig hovered behind them, ready to swoop in if necessary. "Who are you?"

"Ah, excuse my impoliteness. I'm General Shinkai, Masako's boss. There's a situation we could use your help with. I'm afraid it's urgent."

He opened the door fully and stepped aside. "I guess you should come in then." Honey kept himself between them as they sat back down on the couch, with the general in the chair across from them. The silence stretched on; as urgent as this situation seemed he'd have thought the general would explain immediately. But since not, Harry had no problem starting the conversation himself.

"Did you like the spell I made, the one with the tentacles? That was for you right?"

"Harii!" Honey covered his face with his hand and blushed. Harry still didn't know why any mention of that spell caused that.

The general coughed into his arm and looked away. "It was, thank you again by the way. My wife enjoyed it as well." With each of the man's words Honey shrank further into the couch.

"Unfortunately, I'm not here for another spell," General Shinkai continued. "Are you familiar with blood wards?"

"I've encountered them before. Why do you ask?" They were a favorite defense of the Death Eaters' homes, especially the oldest families. Blood wards were the most powerful since they were created with a ritual, but like all rituals they required a sacrifice, though the type of sacrifice was variable.

The general pulled a folder out of his jacket and handed it to Harry, and his expression turned grave. "This morning Zhao Fang of a Chinese sun-worshipping cult entered the country with his followers and took over the Todaiji Temple at the base of Mt. Fuji. On their way there, they kidnapped a class of elementary students to use as sacrifices, some were presumably used to create the blood ward around the temple. Now no one can get in, and no one can get out."

This was just like Voldemort all over again - madman on a quest for power, not afraid to use anyone and anything to succeed. Harry closed his eyes and took deep breaths -in through his nose, out through his mouth - to pacify his roaring blood. He wouldn't,  _couldn't_ , fight again. Even if the details from the report made him sick.

Honey grabbed the papers from him and his eyes darted across the pages. Honey's magic was normally very controlled, but his focus shifted with each line he read. Each sliver of magic that slipped out of his aura was sharper than the last.

"Intelligence from the ICW led us to believe he's going to offer the rest to the spirit goddess Amateratsu at noon to be gifted with power. None of our warding specialists, or the ones sent from China, were able to break through. We need you to take them down so Mitsukuni's team can enter and take Zhao out."

Harry struggled to swallow the lump in his throat and twisted his hands together. The squalls in his stomach refused to subside, the following discussion on the details of the mission was lost in his storm. Human sacrifices weren't used in Blood Wards for centuries, and especially not  _children_. Ritual sacrifices weren't quick deaths, at least, they weren't if you wanted the most power out of them possible. Voldemort's prisoners had been flayed and kept alive for days to power his personal wards. What method was Zhao using, could it be worse than Voldemort's? What if the children were-

"Harii!"

Honey grabbed his hand and broke him out of his thoughts. His face was only inches away, concern and panic flecked his eyes. "Are you alright?" As tense as Honey was, the magic in his touch still had the ability to soothe his own nerves.

"Sorry, I'm fine," Harry freed his hand and looked through the folder. "How many children were taken? Exactly what kinds of wards did they use?"

"Thirty-two, and a full analysis is still being done. It should be complete by the time we arrive at the Forward Operating Base, assuming you can help."

"You don't have to get involved if you don't want to," Honey tangled his hands in his shirt. "I know you're trying to avoid violence now, we can figure something else out, or-"

"Mitsukuni, that's enough." Shinkai snapped and Honey froze, but his eyes burned back. His aura spiked with killing intent, but the general didn't notice. Or if he did, he didn't react.

Shinkai turned back to Harry. "You won't be expected to fight, Evans. We only need your help breaking down the wards. Honey's team can take care of the rest."

Honey bit his lip, obviously struggling not to speak up again.

If he did this, Honey would have to go in there and fight. And maybe kill. He could get hurt. But if he didn't… who knows what Zhao would do with all that power. There was no information on his endgame, and he still had children hostage.

"I'll do it." Harry's tongue was dry, he swallowed again. "Where do I have to go?"

The general stood up and handed him a pistol. A portkey. "This will take you there, but be careful, it's loaded." Honey glared at him once again. "Come as soon as you are ready. Mitsukuni, go to headquarters and change into your gear. I'll see you both there."

The general apparated away.

The gun had surprising heft, it was denser than it looked. He turned it around to examine the barrel, it always amazed him how much damage could come from such a small hole.

Honey snatched it from his hands and confirmed that the safety was on. It was only with a regretful sigh that he handed it back.

"Are you sure about this?" For once Honey's voice was filled with uncertainty. His confidence needed to return before the battle, he needed to worry about himself.

Harry nodded. "I'm sure."

"Well, ok then." Honey jogged across the room and opened his door. "I'll see there!"

His door slammed closed. The subsequent silence was maintained until Hedwig flew down from her perch and hooted at him.

Usa-chan laid forgotten on the couch, he'd have to return her once this was all over.

Hedwig hooted at him again.

"Right, I'm going," he ruffled the feathers on top of her head. "Thanks."

He set the gun on the table and walked to his room. His green cloak waited impatiently at the forefront of his closet, and its magic greeted him with a hum as he shakily locked its clasp around his neck.

Thunder rumbled outside and resonated in his chest. He hoped Haruhi was somewhere safe, he didn't have time to find her and make sure she was all right. He threw up his hood and summoned the pistol – when it arrived he clenched it in his palm.

Its magic hooked around his navel, and sent Harry off to war.

* * *

The portkey dumped Harry beside a ring of tent pavilions. Floodlights lit the camp and shielded the forest's canopy behind their radiance. Groups of soldiers were scattered around, setting up equipment and guarding the perimeter.

His first breath of air almost made him gag. Instead of the crisp, clean air of nature it was charged like ozone. Harry activated his magesight to investigate – not even fifty meters away a dense blockade of magic towered over the forest and extended past his range.

He left the gun on the ground, now that he was here he could always apparate back, and found Honey standing with Mori-senpai and two other soldiers, a man in classes and a blonde-haired woman. Honey had a sleek helmet resting under his arm, and they were all outfitted in dark grey dragonleather and black armor-plating that was engraved with runes, each imparting a different enchantment. Their protections back in England hadn't been nearly as advanced, just shield charms enchanted into their clothes.

Harry walked over in time to hear Honey laugh at something the man in glasses said. The woman noticed Harry and pointed, Honey turned around and his eyes lit up at his approach.

"You made it!" Honey spoke as if Harry had arrived at a party and not a war camp.

The woman jabbed her elbow into Honey's side and smirked. "Ne ne, taicho. Who's this? New boyfriend?"

Honey's blush mimicked Harry's own, but at least he had a hood to hide behind.

"Kaori, don't be annoying," the man gave Harry a bow and forced the woman down with him. "My deepest apologies sir. Please forgive this nuisance."

"Kosei, you bastard!" The woman struggled under the man's grip and finally freed herself with a jab to his knee. The resulting skirmish lasted until Mori picked them each up by their suits and put himself between them.

Honey sighed. "Harii, meet my team. Team, this is Harii, our temporary ward master."

Mori gave him a nod, so he nodded back. Kaori waved at him from the ground with a peace sign, Kosei bowed to him once again.

Kaori jumped to her feet and brushed the dust off her armor. "Another child prodigy, neh? You're too small to be the strong, silent type so you must be shy type instead!"

Her laughter filled the clearing before Harry could say anything in response; it didn't stop until Kosei elbowed her side with his gun.

"Cut it out, idiot!"

Another argument erupted.

Honey clapped his hands three times and they stopped. "We're doing a death march when this is over." Groans erupted from the squad - even Mori seemed to slump. They had Harry's sympathy; with how much training Honey did on an everyday basis, he didn't even want to imagine what he considered a  _death march_.

Honey grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the ensuing complaints. "Come on Harii, we're needed at the command tent."

"Ah, okay." Harry stumbled after Honey and waved back at the group as they left. Their confidence eased the strain on his own nerves. Before battle he had always meditated to get in the zone, at least he did when he had time to. If they were able to crack jokes before their mission, at the very least they had to be competent.

A wolf-whistle from Kaori haunted their exit. His judgement may have been too soon.

"She's getting extra laps," Honey mumbled under his breath.

They entered the largest tent and joined the assembly of commanding officers. A long table dominated the room and a large television telegraphed a map of the temple on the back wall - four smaller screens flanked its sides. Small groups of men had formed up throughout the room, all discussing the upcoming operation. General Shinkai sat in deep concentration at the table's head, staring at the map of the temple.

Matoba emerged from the throng of people with an ancient wooden bow strapped to his back - his ceremonial robes were in stark contrast to everyone else's military uniform. "Mitsukuni. Evans," he greeted. "Have you finally left your cave to help?"

Harry kept his face still, but underneath his cloak he clenched his fists. Matoba said that as if hadn't been working for his government since he came to Japan. Even if Harry agreed that the man's personal crusade was justified, that gave him no right to try and force others to fight. If they were anywhere else, and not surrounded by military officers…

"This isn't the time Seiji," Honey planted himself in front of Harry. "What are you even doing here?"

"Zhao's ritual has upset the spirits of the mountain. My clansman and I will be making sure they won't interfere with the operation. That is, we will be if it's even possible to bring down that monstrosity."

"An impenetrable ward does not exist." Harry unclenched his fists and strode over to the general, squeezing between the officers who somehow couldn't be bothered to move. "Is the ward analysis complete? I need to know what I'm working with."

General Shinkai pulled the report out of his jacket and handed it over. Harry settled down in the seat next to the man and poured over the information, and the general returned his focus to the map. A few moments later he called everyone together and began the final briefing, but it was easy to ignore in favor of the wealth of information now at his disposal.

Blood wards were some of the strongest due to their required sacrifice, but their function was almost always the same: keep people out. Their design could be simple, and flaws easily minimized even if they were obvious. Complex wards hid their functions and traps within a maze of nonsensical patterns, and weaknesses could be found in design flaws and locating weak points. The only way to quickly take down a blood ward was to overpower it with his own magic and overload points of its structure.

"How powerful is Zhao now, and after his ritual?" Harry interrupted the meeting. "What's stopping him from brute-forcing his way through the counter-wards once he's done with his ritual?"

Matoba scoffed. "One does not simply force his way through an anti-apparation ward." The other officers nodded.

"It's possible, I've done it before." Their nodding stopped. "So could Voldemort."

"Right now, Zhao's power is only above-average," the general came back to his original question. "But after the ritual he'll be on same power scale as you and Mitsukuni, if not even beyond."

"He could do it too then," Harry tapped on the table. The more abilities he kept secret, the better, but this operation wouldn't be successful without revealing a few tricks. "I know a counter-ward that can stop all apparition, but that means no-one, not even pre-approved magical signatures, will be able to apparate."

It went against the fundamental principles of counter-warding, implementing something that would affect allies as much as enemies, but it was the only way he could be certain Zhao wouldn't escape.

"But is this even worth the energy?" the officer beside Matoba spoke up. "The point of the operation is to stop Zhao from completing the ritual in the first place." Some of the others murmured in agreement.

"No plan is guaranteed of success," Honey set his jaw and looked each of the officers in the eye. "We cannot afford to let Zhao escape if something goes wrong. How long will it take to set up?"

"Just a few minutes. I'll throw it over the blood wards and then start taking those down. Is the operation ready to go?"

Honey nodded, and grim determination spread throughout the room. Even Matoba had a seemed ready to do anything necessary to ensure the mission's success. One by one Honey's team went through a last-minute equipment check with a technician, and then everyone left for the edge of the ward.

The closer they got, the more the air hummed with magical energy. It was so intense at the ward's border that even some of the officers were uncomfortable, picking at their uniforms like the air was too warm.

He turned on his magesight and the ward shifted into view, hiding the temple in the distance like a thick fog. It rose up into a dome and peaked high into the sky, just like the report said. Domes may not have been the strongest warding structure, but they were the most efficient. For a ward of this size that was already incredibly strong, it was easily the best choice.

And his counter-ward had to be bigger.

Harry steeled himself, and then released the stream of magic that had been building up in his wand. It expanded out like a web, weaving together in a matrix that kept growing until it anchored into the ground on the dome's other side, far past his sight. Then like all his wards, he formed another layer of magic and weaved it into his design so help confuse enemy ward-breakers. If they couldn't understand it, they didn't have a hope of breaking it.

A bead of sweat ran down his neck. Casting large wards took a lot of energy and always made his blood sugar low. He pulled a handful of chocolates from his pocket to snack on while analyzing the blood ward, his lightheadedness would fade in a moment and he needed to make sure the report was correct.

Blindly trusting someone else's information was a mistake he'd made one time too many.

The most basic skill for curse-breaking was pattern recognition. There were many ways to structure a ward, but the same types had the same underlying geometry. Every caster also added their own style to hide what ward they cast, but you could only twist the threads of magic so much before it became non-functional. Combining wards created even more complex patterns, but non-complementary patterns were another possible point of failure.

The base design of ward in front of him was a geodesic dome comprised of one-hundred and twenty triangles, where wards were all layered on top of this structure. It had three-hundred individual points. Eighteen of these were weaker than the others, and he needed to destroy them all at once to bring the dome down.

"Mitsukuni, is your team ready to go?" Harry asked. "Once I bring it down, they'll know you're coming."

Honey slid on his helmet and nodded – Mori-senpai, Kosei, and Kaori slid into formation behind him. "Whenever you're ready, Harii."

All of them had unwavering resolve, prepared to go in and do their duty, even if they got hurt. This was the part of war Harry hated the most, watching others go out to fight. He didn't mind if he got hurt, but he always felt like something would go wrong if he wasn't there with them. Unfortunately, he was usually right.

"Good luck."

Harry turned away from them and closed his eyes. He always found it easier to visualize wards by only sensing magic, and it was a necessity when he couldn't even see where the other side of the blood ward ended.

Magic poured out of his hands and coalesced it into eighteen dense, whirling spears. There were spells to take down wards or create openings within them, but they wouldn't be able to handle the output needed for a job of this size. Raw magic was volatile enough to disintegrate the blood wards and get the job done, and there wasn't any need for subtlety. Adding rotation to their shape made them even more effective, allowing them to drill even deeper in.

The spears flew away from him and arranged themselves over each of the weak points. Just like a puppeteer, he controlled them with a string of magic connecting back to his palms. He raised his arms, and the spears ascended farther away from the dome. Harry took a deep breath, he needed to be precise, every movement controlled and exactly what he meant. There was no margin for error, but the result would be extraordinary.

He clapped his hands together and spears shot forward.

A loud crack boomed through the forest as they struck the ward, and the following shockwave blew dust into his face and dislodged his hood. The spears continued to grind into the wards, producing a loud whine and a repulsion between his hands that threatened to push them apart. He gritted his teeth and kept them clasped, even though they trembled and pricked at the magical rebound.

One by one, each spear dug into the ward until they were half in, half out. A stream of magic burst from the temple and bolstered the wards further, the last-ditch effort to keep them out. It was futile of course, he'd powered the spears with so much energy that the added strength did nothing. But the addition could only mean one thing.

A child had just been sacrificed, they could have been the last one, but maybe more were still alive.

He released his control over his magic, and opened his eyes to watch the show.

Each spear jerked back and forth, side to side, struggling to merge into the web. Their structures started to destabilize, and their shaking became even more violent and then they exploded in a burst of light. The points they were embedded in disappeared, and for a brief moment the whole framework of the ward flashed into view. But just as quickly, it began to flake away, spreading out in a shower of sparks that rained down on the temple and the forest's floor.

Dark blurs shot past as Honey and his team set off on their mission. He stared forward after them long after they vanished into the foliage, and then headed back to the command tent to watch the operation unfold.

* * *

The screens in the command tent broadcasted the view from each team members' helmet, and a radio relayed their comms. One microphone rested on the table for the general to communicate back. Harry perched on the closest chair, huddled into his cloak. He wasn't going to settle for anything less than the best view of the operation, and after the display of his abilities outside, none of the officers dared to challenge his position.

It wasn't long before the dark view of the forest shifted into the stone walls of the temple. Just like the entrance to Kyoto's magical district, an old wooden arch loomed over the stone path. The temple doors were wooden as well, easily as thick as the ones to Honey's family compound, and presumably just as strong. The team arranged themselves around the doors, two on either side, and waited for the command to move in.

A large, solid hand clapped Harry's shoulder. He jumped in his seat and nearly blasted the offender, but it turned out to be the general. The man took the seat next to him and gave him a strong nod. "You did well, now relax and leave the rest to them."

Harry swallowed and gave a tentative nod back. He'd done his job all right, but his chest was tighter than before he'd broken the wards. He wouldn't be able to settle down until he knew the threat was taken care of, and everyone was safe. There were still far too many things that could go wrong.

General Shinkai leaned into the microphone and pressed a gnarled finger down on its button. "Proceed."

Honey kicked down the doors even though they were twice his size. More than a dozen of Zhao's followers were positioned in a ring around the courtyard. All of them had a sick sneer, and their wands were held up and ready to duel.

A barrage of multicolored lights shot toward each screen, and the battle began.

Harry's stomach dropped every time a spell came close to hitting a member of the team, and some of them were nasty. Heart-Stoppers, Bone-Melters, and Organ-Dissolving curses were the most common the cultists threw out. However Honey and his team worked together flawlessly. Honey and Mori moved so fast they were blurs, taking down anyone they encountered, and Kaori and Kosei flung out crowd-control spells like they were candy. When someone missed a spell, another would be there to block it, and the enemy was gradually taken down.

The last man launched a dark-purple Hemorrhaging Curse at Honey right before Mori knocked him out with the butt of his sword. It zipped toward him, closer and closer, but Honey didn't move from its path, even as it filled most of his screen. Harry clenched the arm of his chair so hard it might break.

Golden light discharged around Honey's body and disintegrated the spell. The team made sure everyone was knocked out, and then proceeded into the temple.

"What was that?" Harry turned to the general. "How did Mitsukuni stop the spell?"

General Shinkai settled back into his chair and the corners of his mouth twitched up into a smug smile. "The Haninozukas are our greatest warrior clan for a reason. Not only are they the best martial artists, but their secret family style deconstructs magic that approaches their aura. It's a devastating combination."

Harry locked his eyes back on the screen, the next room was already cleared. The power to nullify spells… no wonder Honey was so confident going into battle. He was already extremely fast and strong. Anything he couldn't dodge, or didn't feel like dodging, was rendered pointless. Traditional magical combat was designed around an exchange of spells, but Honey could ignore the that entirely and take anyone down using his fists.

An ethereal howl echoed in the forest. Chills ran down Harry's spine and all the officers leapt from their seats. Matoba raised a hand for everyone to settle down and a paper bird flew into the tent and landed on his arm -he unfolded it and read the note.

The trademark smirk on his face hardened into a thin line, and he glided out of his chair.

"It seems the battle has finally upset the spirits, it's time for me to do my part." Matoba glanced at Harry, and at the general. "By your leave?"

"Go," the general dismissed.

Matoba left the room with his robes trailing behind him, completely unhurried by the fight he was about to face. Was that spirit as powerful as the one Harry had faced in the plaza? He still had plenty of magic left to fight, but he'd rather not face a creature like that again, especially not without knowing the proper techniques to harm them.

One of the officers had kept track of how many cultists were taken down. By his count there shouldn't be too many cultist's left, but they still hadn't encountered Zhao or the ritual room.

The team ran down a long hallway with Honey on point. At its end was a pair of doors barricaded with magical chains - he flashed his aura and they disintegrated. Once they were gone he kicked down the door and they rushed into centermost and largest room of the temple: the atrium.

Wisps of magic floated in the air producing dim, blood-red light. They provided the only illumination besides occasional flashes of lightning exposed in the windows by open windows by the ceiling. Zhao stood in the center of a ritual circle drawn on the stone floor in glowing white chalk – arcs of energy periodically erupted from its points and struck the man, but he didn't seem to be in any pain. Next to him was a large, golden mirror that extended a meter past his head.

Two piles of the small bodies were deposited behind him.

Zhao stared into the cameras – a smile slowly formed on his face as sinister as Voldemort's had ever been. He formed a fist with his right hand and folded it over his stomach, and bowed so deep that his straight black hair hid his face.

"I had not expected company during my ascension, my kudos to your ward-master." Despite being a foreigner, his Japanese was smooth and carried a charismatic edge he must have used to entice his followers. "Alas, you are far, far too late."

Honey didn't reply, which was good. Engaging in dialogue would only let Zhao stall until his ritual was complete. The team spread out across the room in a battle formation. Their orders were to capture, but even before they left Harry knew that they were prepared to take Zhao's life.

A bolt of red light shot out of Honey's hand - a stunner. It crashed against an invisible wall at the perimeter of the ritual circle.

Harry looked over the ritual circle again that was now the focus of Kosei's screen. Only the inner layers had anything to do a ritual, but the outer layer was actually a disguised barrier ward. The team would have to break through somehow to stop the ritual.

But if they were lacking anything, it certainly wasn't power.

Honey launched forward and smashed his fist into the barrier. Then again… and again. The loud crashes continued through the speaker in a rhythmic beat, each was slightly louder than the last. Kosei and Kaori opened fire with magical blasts of their own, and Mori tried to cut through it with his sword, but all of their attempts had no effect. The ritual circle's glow increased in intensity with every second that passed.

And Zhao  _laughed_.

"This barrier is powered by Amateratsu herself! Your wild, reckless attacks have no hope of breaking through."

Harry closed his eyes and called forth the design of the barrier. Runic barriers were created using a chain of repeating motifs, and its links were their weakest points. The array was powered through four circuits that connected it to the mirror, the motifs closest to those would be strongest, and the ones farthest away the weakest.

His eyes snapped his open and he stole the microphone from the general. "Punch the barrier five feet to your left!"

Honey seamlessly shifted over, and his following punch produced the largest crash yet. The next punch struck the same exact spot, and then again, and again. A small crack appeared on the barrier. After the next it expanded into a network of lines that spread throughout the barrier.

The barrier fractured. Each segment fell to the ground like shattered glass, and as they dissipated Honey rushed into the circle. Zhao's figure was only a dark silhouette against all the light emitted from the ground and the mirror. Honey dashed forward and tried to grapple him to the ground, but he was forced away by an energy blast that came from Zhao's hand. The Dark Lord's eyes flashed white, Honey dodged low to the ground and his foot lashed up and connected with Zhao's head.

His neck twisted with a sharp  _crack_ , and his smile remained frozen on his face, even as his body fell to the ground. Honey knelt on the ground and confirmed that Zhao was dead.

"Mission accomplished sir," he rasped out.

General Shinkai brought his mic closer. "Good work, Mitsukuni. Takeshi, Kosei, check on the children. Once the room is secure and the medics arrive you can make sure the rest of the temple is clear."

Harry leaned back in his chair. Within a few moments Kosei radioed in that some of the children were alive. The operation was a success, but he didn't feel a sense of accomplishment. Japan was supposed to be peaceful, serene. It seemed like it didn't matter where Harry went, violence would follow.

All he wanted was a break.

Honey turned away from the body on the ground to assist the others. He had the determined gait of a soldier, his mission wasn't over until he left the field, but how would that change once he was out of that armor? Harry knew Honey disliked killing as much as he did, maybe Mori-senpai would know the best way to comfort him once this was over.

A bolt of dark lightning arced through the air toward Honey. Right before it touched him he leapt into the air and dodged, and it crashed into the wall behind him. He jumped back up and scanned the room for its source.

A cold laugh rang through the speakers. Everyone froze, and each screen instantly focused back in on his body now sitting up on the ground.

Zhao's hands reached up and twisted his head back into place.

"That was a valiant effort. Just a few moments sooner and the ritual would have been interrupted, and this would all have been in vain." Zhao crept back up, magical energy overflowed through him so much that it sparked around his arms and made his hair stand on end.

"How are you still alive?" Honey ground out. "Your heart stopped, you can't just get back up from that!"

Zhao smirked. "As if I would let  _death_  of all things stop me. Contingency plans must always be made, and my horcrux has assured that I will  _never_  fail."

He twisted in place in an attempt to apparate, but nothing happened. Harry's ward was successful in preventing its activation.

"Your ward master is truly talented to stop a spell in its tracks, but no matter." He bared his teeth and flexed the magic crackling around his body. "I didn't even need to kidnap the children you know, any of my followers would have made just as good sacrifices. Killing you all will be good practice for wielding my new power."

His next blast sent Honey flying across the room.

The command tent was in chaos, and Harry's hands trembled. He was sure that they knew of horcruxes; if they hadn't before, they had been in the report Dumbledore sent over, along with the conventional ways to destroy one. But Zhao's horcrux could be anything, or anywhere. And now that the ritual was complete, he had enough power to accomplish anything he desired.

Zhao rose into the air, crackling with power. His gazed upon the room with a coy smile, as if he were a cat about to play with his prey.

"Takeshi, Kaori, get the kids out of here!" Honey shouted.

"Ah!"

"Hai!"

Zhao turned to them before they reached the children. A swirling ball of raw magic appeared in his palm, it spun faster and faster until a screech filled the air. He flicked his finger, and it sped toward the group.

Honey intercepted the sphere midair with his body and dissipated the energy with an application of his aura, though backlash tossed him against the wall. Kosei let loose a barrage of blasting curses which were all met mid-air by Zhao's own shots of lightning. The resulting explosion filled the room with smoke. When it cleared, Zhao raised his hand and levitated Kosei into the air by the throat, and threw him against the wall. His helmet cracked, and he didn't get back up.

The team couldn't deal with the sheer output of power Zhao could producing. One of them was already down, and with each blast that Honey blocked with his body he got more injured. So far they hadn't even touched Zhao, not that it would do any good. If this was a war of attrition, they were going to lose.

The general and his assistants were deathly quiet as they watched the fight unfold. No one noticed Harry leave his seat, and no one noticed him disappear out the back of the tent.

* * *

Honey ducked the sphere flying toward his head and flipped away from the explosion that followed. Zhao charged another and threw it toward Kosei, who was still unconscious on the ground.

He leapt into its path and broke it down with his aura, but couldn't get away from the backlash and slammed into the ground. His arm cracked, but he pushed the pain to the back of his mind – hopefully it was just a fracture.

Zhao had been pushing him around the entire fight. His aura didn't cancel out spells, it deconstructed them until only the raw magic was left. This was normally enough to make them harmless, but with the power Zhao kept throwing around, what was left was more than enough to cause serious injuries. He'd be covered in burns if it wasn't for his armor.

Takeshi's sword shattered deflecting one of those spheres, and now half the blade lay discarded on the ground. The blast still managed to make a cut above his brow, trickling blood into his eye and down his face. He and Kaori were trying to get the last of the children out, with Honey running interference.

He sprinted toward Zhao, but the Dark Lord waved his hand and a solid wall of magic forced him back once again. He couldn't get close enough to cause any damage. As soon as they got the children out they were going to have to retreat, but he didn't even know if they would be able to. Harii's ward kept Zhao from leaving and wreaking havoc, but it also prevented their escape.

Zhao smirked at him, and sent another blast toward Takeshi, who had his hands full with the last few children.

Honey intercepted the attack and managed to get away from the backlash before any of it hurt him. Zhao's grin grew wider.

His neck flashed with heat, and explosion from above slammed him into the ground.

There was a crack, and sharp pain sprung forth from his leg. It was definitely broken. His visor was cracked and so many warnings went off in his helmet that he had to peel it off. He couldn't afford to be distracted if he wanted to make it out of this alive.

The blade of Takeshi's sword glinted beside him. He picked it up even though its sharp edge cut through his gloves and into his hand. He hurled it at Zhao. It pierced his chest, and its tip came out from his back.

Zhao remained suspended midair- his expression frozen- and Honey knew that he killed him once again. But then his hand reached up and pushed the blade the rest of the way through. Zhao laughed once more, and the blade clattered on the ground.

He charged up another sphere, this one bigger than all that came before. It spun so fast that the magical energy glowed and illuminated the room like a star, a beacon of death. Honey got back on his feet, but his leg buckled under him and he fell back down.

The sphere hurtled toward him – Honey readied his aura and braced himself for the explosion that would follow.

Nothing happened. It froze less than a meter away and shot back toward Zhao. He dodged and it collapsed the wall behind him.

Harii strode into the room, cloak billowing and with spears of raw magic hovering around him like sentinels. He was devoid of all expression – face lacking all of the innocence and amusement that Honey was fond of.

Zhao laughed. "Could Japan only muster one man for backup? Are you even a man? By your stature it's more likely you're just a child!"

Harii flicked his hand, and the spears fired toward Zhao. They were met in the air by more conjured spheres, and explosions filled the air. The floor beneath Honey rumbled and sent pricks of pain through his broken leg.

When the smoke cleared, Harii had floated into the air and had dozens of more spears behind him. Zhao sneered and summoned more spheres to match, and the deadly dance between them began. They flew around the room like hornets, conjuring attacks that met each other blast for blast, and weaving around any that made it through. They threw out so much raw magic that magelights spontaneously blinked in and out of existence in the air.

Honey crawled back to the edge of the room. He may have been a good fighter, but he was no mage. In his current state he could do nothing to help Harii fight. As much as it pained him, he could only watch the battle unfold.

He hoped it was over soon, and that Harii would win. He hated seeing that look on his face.

* * *

A triad of Zhao's spheres shot at Harry from above, from the side, and below. He flew through them to the other side of the room to avoid the resulting explosion. He grabbed the next volley with his magic and made them chase Zhao around until he finally got tired of dodging them, and Harry's own spears. He released a wave of magic to destroy them all.

All of the subtler spells he'd tried casting couldn't even pierce the man's aura, he was emitting so much magical energy that they just bounced off. The power Zhao commanded was enormous, it was easily more than his own and Voldemort's combined. Thankfully he didn't have the control to use it to his fullest potential, but Harry was rusty from not training and his reserves weren't full after breaking the wards.

Harry had to be careful. This may have been a one-on-one duel, but Honey and his team were still in the area. He needed to contain the destruction to the air to keep them safe and keep Zhao's attention so he wouldn't think to attack them as well. Honey hadn't been able to last forever against those blasts, and he wouldn't be able to either.

Zhao set another volley of his spheres flying at him, and they had significantly more magic in them than the last – he wouldn't be able to take control of these and send them back. He flexed his core and created a gridlock of energy as a shield. The spheres exploded against it, and Zhao bared his teeth in frustration and raised his arms.

Thunder roared from his hands.

A thick beam of magic, at least ten feet in diameter, erupted out and fired toward him. Harry flew to the side and above, and the beam vaporized the wall and ceiling as it followed him. He continued to dodge, and the beam kept following him.

He continued to run from the blast and it kept chasing him – he didn't even know if he could put up a shield strong enough to absorb that energy, let along deflect it.

When it finally stopped, wood and tile rained down from above and the building began to collapse. He only had enough time to form shields around himself and everyone on the ground before they were covered in rubble. Once the crashes stopped, he expanded his shields to free them all from the wreckage.

Harry coughed up dust and flew above the resulting dust cloud. The beautiful temple that he had only seen in reports was now destroyed, but Zhao wasn't looking at it. Instead, he was looking off past the forest. Toward Tokyo.

It would only take him a moment to realize he didn't have to fight here, and could just fly away and be there within an hour. Harry couldn't let that happen.

He was out of time.

He pumped magic through his legs and arms and flew forward until he tackled Zhao midair. Hands ripped into his back and pulled at his hair, but he continued until he crashed them into the ground.

A burning nail gashed into his side and cut down to his stomach, but he ignored the pain.

Even from on top of him, it was so dark from the clouds that he could barely see Zhao's face. Harry whispered the darkest spell he knew, possibly the darkest in existence. The one he created, and the one that killed Voldemort.

" _Iacturam animae._ "

Purple light spewed from his hands and Zhao let out a blood-curdling scream. A second later his eyes rolled back into his head, and his body spasmed beneath Harry's pin.

The spell was based on the Killing Curse, but it didn't just kill someone. It was the worst perversion of soul magic. The soul needed prior damage for it to take effect, like someone with horcruxes. Voldemort had made so many that it was impossible to find them all.  _Iacturam animae_  gathered up all of those pieces… and  _shredded_  them.

But all dark magic had a price.

Harry's own soul  _cracked_.

By the time Zhao stopped screaming, Harry no longer cared that the mission was a success, and that everyone had gotten out alive. The shouts of relief from the ruins of the temple were a muted annoyance.

Zhao's body flaked away into dust and Harry took down his ward over the area. It was no longer necessary, and neither was he.

The sky cracked open. He apparated away.

And the rain poured down.

* * *

A/N: Thank you all so much for your support! This is probably the chapter I've worked hardest on, and any concrit you guys have to make the next one even better is always appreciated. Also, I'm an Ao3 newb. If anyone thinks of any tags you think I should add, feel free to message me or comment :)


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Ouran High School Host Club.

* * *

 

Colors drifted around him, soft and muted, mixing together in interesting swirls and patterns. He could watch them forever.

He'd fled into his mind to avoid thinking. Thinking led to feeling, but at least if that happened here only the colors would change. He'd had enough of feeling.

A void of black tore across the canvas, throbbing like a wound to the beat of his heart. Harry wasn't worried about it. It would heal, eventually.

So he waited.

* * *

And waited.

* * *

Something poked him, which was odd. Not his body, but his mind. He had warded his apartment until it was a fortress before he entered his mind. Nothing should have been able to bother him now.

He crept closer. Just close enough to investigate.

A shrill screech stabbed Harry's ears, knocking him out of his mind. The sound repeated again, and again, and again. He burrowed deeper into his blankets, but it kept coming closer. Louder and louder until it seemed like it came from his skull.

Something bit his nose, he wasn't alone.

_He wasn't safe_.

Harry jerked his eyes open, and was met with Hedwig's wide, yellow stare. She had burrowed into his den of blankets and was only trying to get his attention. He started shaking - he was safe after all.

She nuzzled his head and cooed against his trembling body - Harry wished he could stop, it was a useless response. He wasn't even in danger, but he couldn't help it. The jolt of adrenaline from when he was startled had to go somewhere, but he wished it hadn't happened in the first place. He focused on her white feathers brushing against his face.

Eventually, he stopped.

Hedwig flapped and hopped her way out of the blankets, pulling his hand behind her with her talons. Harry followed her out, he might as well see what she wanted. Was she hungry? Was he hungry? She should have been able to move through the wards to hunt, and if his body was hungry enough to be in danger he would have known.

She prodded him forward again. The last few days he'd barely been able to get out of bed, or shower, or eat. If it weren't for Hedwig, he wouldn't have. Everything hurt. It was better to stay in bed, and not think or feel until his soul recovered again.

Once in the living room Hedwig flew to the windowsill and tapped on the glass. Her talon poked through its surface and sent rippling waves out from its tip. The spell to let her move through the glass was still functional, so what did she want?

Hedwig screeched at him, so he hurried over to her side.

It was raining outside, and the sound of the downpour got louder the closer he got to the window. No wonder it was so dark – even if it was daytime a storm like this would make it pitch black, though according to the clock on his oven it was just past midnight.

The living room was empty. Only his trunk was left, slightly ajar in the corner.

That's right. He'd used a packing spell after warding the apartment. He'd wanted to get out of the country and go somewhere isolated to recover, but he'd decided against it. It was still too early. He didn't know if he was going to be forced to leave yet.

A deserted island might be nice, or the top of a mountain. Fleur probably has a secluded property he could use. Once the Japanese government managed to break through his wards to tell him to go, he'd have to leave immediately. He didn't blame them. Someone like him didn't belong in a place like this.

Hedwig swiped up with her wing, over and over until Harry looked up at the ceiling - it was as blank and white as it had always been. Was something wrong with it?

He shrank back at her disappointed look. That wasn't it.

Hedwig hopped through the window. The rain bounced off her feathers, courtesy of one of the many spells he placed on her. She waved for him to follow and flew off into the storm - only the sheer brightness of her feathers allowed him to keep track of her circling above the apartment.

He climbed onto the windowsill but stopped before he touched the glass. Would anyone see him if he went out? Was there an agent out there, just waiting for him to come out before they kicked him out of the country? A quick  _Tempus_  revealed that it was past midnight. With how heavy the storm was he would probably be fine, but just the thought of  _people_  waiting for him out there made him want to strengthen the wards and run back to his room.

But Hedwig was waiting, and the longer he took the greater the chance was that she'd come back in and drag him out. Whatever it was that she wanted, he had to go deal with it. Then he could come back inside, for good this time.

He applied water-repelling charms and stepped through the window. The glass tingled, and a torrent of rain hit him as soon as he crossed its threshold. It was cold, even if it didn't make him wet, and made goosebumps appear on his skin. He increased the charm's strength so it bounced off an inch away from his skin instead.

Hedwig swooped by him and gracefully landed on the roof. She peered down at him from its ledge, whatever she needed him for was up there. Harry levitated himself up. The sooner he got out of the rain, the better.

A figure sat cross-legged just meters away from him, centered right above his apartment in a meditative pose. Even though the rain obscured his sight, the blond hair was instantly recognizable. Why was Honey here? Did Japan want Harry gone so bad they made him sit out in the rain on his roof?

Harry crept closer until he was only inches away. The angled tiles were slick under his bare feet, but he didn't make any noise.

Honey didn't react to his presence, but even though he was in a relaxed pose he looked stressed and exhausted. Dark circles protruded under his eyes, and the wet T-shirt that clung off his frame made him look like a drenched rat.

Harry poked him in the side.

Honey flailed and fell over, sliding a few feet down the wet tiles before he caught himself and jumped to his feet. Aggression radiated off his posture, making Harry automatically widen his stance and prepare for a fight. Maybe Honey was sent here to get rid of him after all.

Their eyes met, and Honey's fighting stance immediately dropped. "Harii! What are you doing up here?"

Harry's reply was choked back before it even began to form. It wasn't his vocal cords, a few days without talking was too short a time for them to be damage,. it was something else. There was a block, and no matter how hard he tried Harry couldn't break it to speak.

The longer he stood there, the more concerned Honey's face became. But Harry couldn't reply. The worry in Honey's kept growing, so he gathered magic in his fingertips and wove a glowing message in the air.

_Why are you here?_

"Are you still hurt from the fight? Why can't you talk?"

Harry shrugged, and left his previous question hanging in the air. The last time he hurt his soul, it had taken him a month to talk again. It would probably last as long this time.

Honey looked away, biting his lip and scanning the drenched cityscape instead. "Zhao will be back, and he's going to come after you for revenge. You won't have to fight him again Harii, I'll stop him this time!"

_Don't worry about it. Go home._

Honey grit his teeth and planted himself deeper into the wet tiles. "I've been up here for three days already, I won't leave now. I won't let him hurt you again!"

_He can't. He's gone for good._

Honey stilled. "But what about his horcrux?"

_My spell took care of it._ Perhaps too well, but it was the only way he had to win.

"That… people need to know about that. The military has been on high alert for days." Honey pulled out his phone, disregarding the rain, and typed out a message - its harsh light lit up his face and reflected off the water stuck to his skin. If Honey had really been up here in the rain for three days he was probably going to get sick.

Honey turned back to him with a smile, but he didn't smile back.

_Go home._

The smile dropped.

"No way! You're hurt, and even if Zhao's gone he might still have followers." Honey swiped the rain out of his eyes, and his shoulders started shaking.

"You shouldn't have had to fight at all, it's my fault you were hurt. I wasn't strong enough to stop him on my own. But I won't let anything else happen to you!"

In their current states, Harry doubted either of them could take on Zhao. But all of his followers had been weak, none of them would stand a chance against him - he wasn't in any danger.

_My wards are strong. I don't need your help. I'm fine._

_Please leave._

"Are you though? Are you really okay?" Honey shifted and looked him over. "You had to fight again. You had to kill again. Now you won't even talk."

"It's okay to not be okay Harii. That's what I'm here for. To help make you better again."

Honey locked their eyes together and maintained it for much longer than Harry was comfortable with. He knew Honey was trying to show his commitment, but the longer it went on all that came through was Honey's exhaustion. His eyelids trembled and threatened to close, and the dark bags under his eyes became more and more present the longer Harry was forced to look.

A pang formed in his chest, cutting through the emptiness. Honey wasn't leaving, even though he should. He really did care.

What was he expecting to do though? Harry knew he wasn't ok, but he would be. He just needed time. Honey didn't need to be here, he was just hurting himself and making him and Hedwig worry.

_You couldn't even detect me sneaking up on you._

Honey's face slipped into a pout. "This place is saturated with your energy, of course I couldn't sense you coming."

That… actually made sense. If Honey was keeping watch by sensing magic, Harry would be camouflaged all around the building. He outputs so much extra magic that his apartment was a magical oasis in the city. If he had rooftop garden all of the cities creatures would be attracted to it.

Maybe he should get a rooftop garden.

A strong gust of wind made Honey wobble where he stood. A force that small shouldn't have even been able to make him budge.

Harry was better off alone. He'd fought Zhao alone, and he'd fought Voldemort alone. He didn't need anyone else. Not to guard him, and not to get better.

_Baka._

He floated back down the roof. Honey didn't follow him, not even when he dropped below the edge, but Harry felt his eyes watching him go.

Harry wasn't going to be able to convince Honey to leave, he was just as stubborn as himself, but the longer Honey stayed the more he'd get hurt. Harry should leave him to drown in the rain, or at least send Masako a message to come get him. How much longer could he go before collapsing for real? Harry couldn't let this go on for any longer.

Harry peaked his head back up over the roof, and Honey's eyes immediately locked back onto him.

_Are you coming in or not?_

Honey gasped, and his face lit up with joy. "Hai!"

Harry resolutely ignored the fluttering in his chest at seeing Honey's smile and flew back into the apartment, drying himself off as he phased through his window. Like a normal person. But Honey flipped through the air and swung in like a monkey.

A wet monkey. A wet monkey that was shivering and dripping on his floor.

Honey cringed at the puddle building up around his feet. "Sorry."

Harry sighed, and pointed him to the bathroom. Honey fast-walked into it, leaving a trail of wet footprints and droplets behind him. After a moment Harry heard the shower turn on. That was good, hopefully the hot water would get the chill out of his bones.

He used a drying charm on the wet floor and then searched his closet for spare clothes. Honey was lucky Harry knew a few tailoring charms, everything would be too small otherwise. Honey was only about six inches taller than him, but combined with his muscles would make everything way too tight to be comfortable. Once they were ready he phased them through the bathroom door along with a towel.

He stared out at the empty space of his living room. Before he could stop it, his lungs squeezed around his heart.

Had letting Honey in been a bad idea? Company was the last thing he wanted while he recovered, even if it meant easing Honey's worries. He already couldn't get proper rest - delving into his mind was more like a stasis, but eventually, he'd have to face the nightmares that stalked his thoughts.

But now he wouldn't be alone. He'd have to  _talk_ , and all he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and  _stop being himself_.

He didn't want to think anymore. Thinking led him to his memories, and his emotions, and he'd only end up hurting. This would have easier if only he'd ignored Hedwig and stayed inside until he was better.

"Harii, why is the living room empty?"

Honey stood in the room, dressed in Harry's sweatpants and a plain white T-shirt. The shower and dry clothes had done him some good, but exhaustion still rimmed his eyes. Harry probably didn't look any better, but he wasn't going to go in front of a mirror to check.

He quickly composed himself and levitated the open trunk over. All the room's contents were shrunken and scattered in its current compartment, he'd need to sort it later.

_For when I have to leave._

It was inevitable, really. Sooner or later he'd be forced out of the country, even if Honey wasn't the one to do it. It'll be sad, but he won't put up a fight when they come.

"No!" Honey slammed the trunk closed, so hard that he overpowered its protections and the wood split with a  _crack_. Desperate hands dragged him close and crushed him against Honey's chest. The magic from his touch wasn't calm, it spiked through him in erratic bursts that fed into his own panic.

He jabbed an elbow into Honey's side and tried to force his way free, but that only made them fall to the ground and make Honey hold him tighter. The pain from hitting the floor was ignorable, same with the pressure on his bruises, but panic started to set in.

He was trapped.

It was hard to breathe, and his magic crackled under the surface of his skin. So much that he was vibrating at the need for release. But before he let it lash out, he realized that the shaking wasn't coming from him.

It was Honey, but he was holding Harry so tight it affected him too.

He was hyperventilating. Breath came in and out from him so fast it was like Harry's hair was in the wind, and his eyes were wild and unfocused.

It scared him.

Harry dove into his mind, abandoning his body to Honey's grasp. If there was anything worse than one panicked wizard, it was two. Honey would calm down eventually, this had all started because the other boy thought he was leaving. Fighting against his hold would only make it worse, and Harry couldn't break it without causing him more harm.

So he huddled into the colorful darkness, listening to Honey's heartbeat thrum around him.

It was distracting - fast and sharp like a hummingbird. He tuned it out and focused on the swirls instead. They were erratic, in tune with Honey's beat no matter how much he tried to calm them. So he gave up and enjoyed the show instead - he'd never seen patterns as sharp as these before.

But it didn't last forever, the patterns returned to their normal, meandering state. Minutes could have passes, or even hours. He listened again, and found that Honey's heart now a slow, temperate rhythm. There wasn't a trace of panic anymore.

Harry opened his eyes and was met with a stark white. The white of his T-shirt stretching over Honey's chest, so close he could see the individual threads.

Honey cradled his body in his lap, and had his face was buried into his hair. And though he wasn't as tense his arms kept him in a tight hold.

Harry slid a hand between them. Under his palm, Honey's heartbeat remained steady. Harry wanted to say something, talk to him about why he panicked, but all his words froze in his throat before they even had a chance of being released.

He wanted out. He may have been calm but he couldn't think of a more uncomfortable position. Honey was so tense it felt like he was being squeezed by a rock, and the floor wasn't any better.

He pushed them apart - Honey's arms gave with minimal resistance and allowed him to scoot onto the floor. As soon as he was free he pulled his knees in and hid his face, and tried to contain his own anxious energy from taking over.

This was a mistake. He just wanted to be alone. He should apparate to his bedroom and slam the door now before anything else happened. The more he interacted with Honey, the more the aching  _nothing_  in his chest grew. It was manageable if he went to his mind, but not while he was out here. Not while he could feel Honey's stare even while his eyes were closed.

"I'm sorry." Honey's voice was broken, wounded. So much it forced Harry to look up.

Tears leaked down Honey's face as he crumpled on the floor, hands yearning out while simultaneously flinching back.

"You're hurt again, because of me. I'm a terrible soulmate."

He wasn't, why did Honey think that? Harry had been like this long before he met Honey, it wasn't anything new.

_I'm fine._

"You're not!"

Honey wiped his eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath - curling inward and crossing his arms as if to form a wall between them.

"Grabbing you like that was one thing, I didn't even realize you were trying to get away, but then you went limp and wouldn't respond to anything! I thought you would never wake up...  _I_  made you do that."

Honey hid his face in his arms and started sobbing, making wretched sounds that resonated throughout the room. It didn't stop, not after one minute, and not after five. Watching was painful, like seeing a puppy be hurt for no reason at all.

Harry crawled over and patted Honey's leg until he looked up again. But as soon as he did, Honey threw himself into Harry's lap and sobbed. The suddenness almost made Harry jump away, but this was different than before. The arms wrapping around his waist were still clingy, but weren't constricting him at all.

Tears soaked through his shirt, apparently the water repelling spell had worn off. Honey's crying wasn't calming down. What was he supposed to do? Did Honey want comfort, or something else? He didn't know, but doing  _nothing_  was wrong.

Haruhi's hugs were good, and comforting, but she wasn't here, and they weren't something that could just be replicated on the spot. Maybe they should have practiced.

He rubbed Honey's back and rested his other hand on his shoulder. Honey sobbed even louder and shoved himself closer into Harry. At this rate his stomach was going to have an imprint of Honey's face.

Was this okay? It couldn't get worse, right?

Harry lost track of the passing minutes in favor of giving comfort. After a while his legs became numb, and Honey's crying subsided to sniffles. But he didn't leave Harry's lap, even though it couldn't have been very comfortable for him either.

"Why would you pack up Harii?" Honey's voice vibrated through him, and he looked up at him with tear-stricken eyes. "Why do you want to leave?

_I don't want to. l have to._

Would Honey really understand it if he explained, or would it just make him disgusted? After what Harry did to Zhao… he wouldn't be surprised Honey ran away instead. The soul was more sacred in some cultures than others, and he didn't know what Japan's stance was.

"Why? Why would you have to leave? I thought you were happy here!"

His heart twisted.

_I'm broken. It's better that I leave._

_Your government will make me go anyway._

"That doesn't make sense, Harii you've done nothing but good since you've been here! We want you to stay!"

Was he not there at the battle? Dozens of people saw him, and they probably recorded it too.

_I'm too powerful, and a monster. People don't like things they can't control._

"You're not a thing, you're not a monster, you're just an idiot!" Honey launched out of his lap and stormed back and forth, wringing his hands and with a puzzled frown that contrasted with the tears that hadn't yet dried on his cheeks. "We'd be stupid to make you want to leave!"

Harry looked down and avoided Honey's stare. It hadn't worked out in England, it wouldn't here either. Soon enough rumors would spread about him, and the horrible things he'd done. He didn't deserve a place here. The ends do not justify the means, no matter how much Dumbledore tried to justify them.

Honey suppressed a scream by biting his wrist.

"You don't get it, do you? Of course you don't," Honey took a short, bracing breath and sat back down in front of Harry, locking their eyes together once again. "You're my soulmate. That makes you a citizen. Laws are in place so that we literally  _can't_  make you leave. You will always be welcome in Japan, even if you move somewhere else."

"You went out there and fought Zhao, risking your life, stopping the most powerful dark wizard that has entered our borders in decades, all while you thought we would kick you out for it! Harii, you're an asset! If anything we'd want you to stay just so no one else could have you!"

Harry… hadn't thought of it like that. It made sense, but how sure could Honey really be? If soulmates were a big a deal in Japan as it seemed, of course they wouldn't make Honey kick him out. It'd be someone else.

"And you're not broken either! I know you don't like killing, but you saved so many people's lives. You don't need to fight again, that was our mistake."

"Please don't go. You're amazing, I want you to stay."

It was warm. Harry's heart hurt. He didn't deserve this.

_Thank you, but I meant it a little more literally._

Honey froze. "You said you weren't hurt!" He started to scramble out of his lap, but Harry held him back down. It was nice that he cared, but a doctor couldn't help with this.

_It's not my body, it's my soul. The spell I used on Zhao was dark. Black. It didn't just dissolve his soul, it got a little of mine too._

Harry braced himself for Honey to pull away. For disgust, for rejection. But Honey didn't do either.

He got angry.

"You idiot!" Honey shouted. "Why would you do that to yourself?"

Harry flinched back.  _It was the only way to win._

Honey tensed, and Harry readied himself for a fight, but Honey only roughly shoved his face back in Harry's lap. He wasn't looking for comfort again, was he? He was just laying there, holding them together and breathing Harry in. Haruhi hadn't prepared him for this. What was he supposed to do if someone was angry? Harry usually stunned them, but that wouldn't work here.

It'd be easier though. He wished he knew what to do.

Honey's voice muffled up in a mumble. "This wasn't your first time using that spell, was it?"

_No._  Harry had to tap Honey's shoulder so he'd tilt his head up to read the reply.

Honey pressed himself closer let out a long, resigned sigh - the warm exhale of breath tingled through Harry's shirt. "You stupid, reckless, heroic, idiot. Of course you'd do the most damaging thing to yourself if it meant stopping the bad guy."

Only two bad guys had warranted that spell so far, but Honey probably didn't want to hear that.

"Heian-era wizards did research into souls. We know how much it screws you up when it gets damaged. How long did it take you to recover last time? Did you even finish recovering before you had to fight Zhao?"

_Three months._  His soul had fully healed by the time he left for Japan, but there was a scar. A constant cold-spot, but using the spell again had ripped it open even wider than before.

_I'm sorry I'm like this._

"Do you regret it?"

Harry shook his head, he didn't. He hated what he did, but he'd do it a thousand times again if it meant saving those lives.

Honey nodded, and a forlorn look formed in his eyes that eyes that reminded Harry he was a warrior too. He wasn't the only one here who'd killed. "I understand."

He hated the world a little bit in that moment. They were both too young to know that feeling.

Honey sat up in seiza, grabbing Harry's hands and refusing to let them slip away. "You should've told me, or Masako. I get why you didn't want to… but I'm  _really_  glad I stayed on the roof now."

A golden glow trickled out of Honey's body, the same glow that he used to fight the spirits and when he faced Zhao. It slowly spread out and up to his arms, and finally to his hands that still held Harry's own.

He gasped - warmth spread through him like lightning, and the golden aura kept expanding out until he was completely enveloped in its bubble. Everything took on a golden tint and a feeling of  _good_.

Honey wistfully smiled, hair gently floating into the air, and wiped all the remnants of tears from his face. "I told you before that soulmates are more than just a name. I hate that you had to do that, and you're  _never_  doing it again, but I can help. Our souls complete each other Harii, you'll better in no time."

The brightness of the aura increased, but it was most intense at Honey's eyes. Golden light shined through them, radiant and bright. More and more of Honey's magic flowed into him until Harry was drowning in it.

It filled him with light, and now he didn't feel scared, or sad or lonely. It took him a moment to recognize what bubbled up within, but when he did he smiled.

He was happy.

And then it was gone.

The glow faded with a whimper, and Honey collapsed into Harry's arms. He barely caught him, it was more that they fell into each other to stay upright.

Whatever Honey did… it worked. The hole in him wasn't completely filled, but it had taken him weeks to get to this state last time.

Maybe he could get better after all.

Harry levitated them into the air and brought them into his bedroom - neither of them would make it walking. He'd had enough. He needed sleep, Honey needed sleep, anything else could wait until tomorrow.

Honey hit the mattress, eyes fluttering and confused, and Harry slid in beside him.

"Harii, what- "

Harry's thick comforter puffed up into the air and smothered them into the mattress. Harry set his glasses on the bedside table and rearranging his pillows - he normally slept in the center of all of them, but Honey would need some too.

"You don't need to do this Harii. I'm the guest, I can take the couch, or the floor since your couch is gone…"

Harry turned over and kicked Honey beneath the blanket. He yelped, even though there wasn't enough energy in it to make it hurt.

_Don't be stupid. There's plenty of room for both of us._

Honey's face lit up redder than a Christmas light before he shoved it behind a pillow.

Harry kicked him again.

"Fine fine, you win," Honey grumbled and settled back down, though he didn't really seem mad at all. "It's probably better like this anyway. The more contact we have, the faster you'll heal."

His eyes closed, and his lips turned up in a smile. "Goodnight Harii."

Harry watched his face gradually relax.  _Goodnight_.

Honey's breathing became soft and regular. Peaceful. Harry wished he could sleep like that, even before Zhao he couldn't remember the last time he got a full night of sleep.

But maybe...

He ducked his head under the blanket. It was dark and blurry, but he could just barely make out Honey's hand resting at his side.

Harry grabbed it. His skin was still rough and calloused, but it was much warmer than his own, and even asleep a comforting stream of magic flowed between them. Honey said that the more contact between them, the better. This couldn't hurt, right? If anything it could only help.

Honey linked their fingers together - Harry froze, but Honey didn't react any further. He poked his head out of the blanket, Honey was still sleeping peacefully. At least, he looked like it. Harry amplified his hearing and listened to his breathing to make sure he wasn't faking.

He wasn't. He'd done that on his own. Automatically, while asleep.

Harry scooted closer and focused on Honey's breathing, soft and calming. And his hand was nice an warm, Harry's hands and feet always got cold when he tried to sleep. This nice.

He didn't mind this at all.

* * *

Mitsukuni woke up in the middle of the night because he was a little too warm.

He tensed - he didn't recognize where he was, but then he noticed Harii breathing softly, curled up against his chest. Holding his hand. No wonder he was so warm.

Nothing could be better than this.

He pulled Harii closer, and went back to sleep.

* * *

Sunlight burned Harry's eyes through the veil of sleep. He rolled back into his pillow - it was harder than he was used to but still warm and comfortable.

He wasn't ready to wake up yet. The storm had kept his room dark the last few days, but it must have stopped last night. He lazily waved the curtains closed and the sunshine disappeared. Perfect.

His pillow moved.

Harry's bliss shattered and he snapped his eyes open, but all he saw was skin. Honey's skin.

Oh.

He was tucked into Honey's side, face pressed into the crook of his neck and using him as a pillow. Or maybe it was the other way around - they were so wrapped around each other that Harry couldn't tell who was using who. Honey was hugging him close and cuddling him like a stuffed animal, but Harry had abandoned his pillows sometime during the night in favor of Honey's chest. He was still sleeping peacefully despite Harry's jolt, gently snoring into his hair and exuding a comforting glow.

Harry felt safe in Honey's arms, and his magic reflected that. It was normally anxious, volatile. But now it was almost lethargic. He didn't have to concentrate on controlling it at all, it was content to lazily stretch throughout him and just  _exist_.

It was weird. He should be able to be comfortable like this, but it was too off-putting. He couldn't enjoy it, his senses were constantly on edge for something to come ruin it, and now that he was awake he wouldn't be getting back to sleep. But until he was freed from Honey he was stuck.

He started to away but immediately met resistance - Honey's arms were wrapped around him and wouldn't budge, and overcoming their difference in strength would futile. Harry had always worked out for endurance, but Honey did strength exercises every day.

Harry sucked in a breath to whisper him awake, but his words fizzled out. He felt a lot better this morning, but what Honey did last night still wasn't enough to cure his muteness.

_Mitsukuni, wake up_.

Honey didn't react to his message. Of course he wouldn't - his eyes were closed and he was asleep. A smug hoot came from above. Harry stretched his neck back and found Hedwig staring haughtily down at him from the bedframe, laughing at his predicament.

_That's not helping_ ,  _Hedwig._

Haruhi told him horror stories of waking Honey up, but if he didn't do it he could be stuck like this for hours. With what little room Honey's arms allowed, Harry shook back and forth. Honey's eyelids stirred but didn't open. Harry struggled harder and maneuvered a hand up to pinch his side.

It did nothing.

Honey let out a sleepy grumble and rolled over, taking Harry along for the ride and squishing him into the mattress. Only his head was free, nose to nose with Honey. The rest of him was pinned down and locked between Honey's arms. He had even less freedom to move than before, he was left with no choice. From where his hands were pressed into Honey's abdomen where his shirt rode up, Harry charged up a small shock and pressed his fingers into the bare skin.

Honey jolted and went unnaturally still - dark energy rolled off him in waves and his grip tightened. He cracked his eyes open and unleashed a glare more threatening than Harry had ever received from a Death Eater. It could have petrified a lesser creature.

But Harry's returning glare was worse.

Honey wilted back and sluggishly rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Harii?"

Harry wiggled beneath his body and glowered, and Honey finally got the message. He rolled back over but didn't release his grip, making Harry lay on top of him this time. If Harry wasn't holding his chest up their bodies would have been completely flush, but even still he was forced to conform over Honey like a blanket.

A pink blush bloomed on Honey's cheeks and he frantically stammered, unable to form any recognizable words. After several attempts he gave up and left his mouth gaping open like a fish.

Harry huffed and guided Honey's frozen hands away - whatever time it was, it was too early to deal with pointlessness. They had been closer than that all night, what was so different now?

He got off Honey's lap and walked to the bathroom, sitting on its floor once he closed the door. He wished he could have stayed in bed longer, the tiles were cold and from experience Harry knew a warming charm wouldn't help at all, but Honey would have been a mess forever if he stayed. Hopefully a few minutes alone would give him time to recover.

When he came back out Honey was in the kitchen with Hedwig perched on his shoulder, systematically searching through the cabinets. A large tuft of his hair stuck out parallel to the floor, and remnants of his blush still clung to his face.

Harry tried not to think about the state of his own hair, he was pretty sure Honey had drooled in it.

"Your pantry is completely empty. What have you been eating?"

Harry pulled out a box of rations. They may not have tasted good, but they were calorie-dense and he only needed one each day.

Honey wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Those don't count as food." His phone materialized in his hand and he typed out a message - a second later he received a beep in response and he nodded.

"Real food will be here soon, and a bag for me. I'm staying until you get better - that's ok, right?"

Even though Honey was here, Harry still had the urge to crawl under his blankets and hide from the world - if Honey stayed he wouldn't be able to do that. But at the same time, he liked the idea of him being here. It'd always been assumed that he'd take care of himself, every since he was born. For the first time someone was offering to help.

_That could be a while._

Honey crossed his arms and stubbornly stared back at him. "I know."

There was no stopping him when he was like this, Harry already knew that. But how long would this last? Honey will get tired of him eventually. He had to.

He slunk back into his room. It was only after his door had closed that he found the smile blemishing his face.

* * *

A loud thump echoed through the floor, drawing Harry out of his meditation. He hadn't submerged himself deep enough to cut off his senses, he didn't want to scare Honey again, but now his trance was ruined and the curiosity nibbling at him ensured that wouldn't get back into it.

He poked his head out of his room. Honey was noticeably absent, but Aisaka was sprawled out in the living room and surrounded by cushions - the largest of which replaced his floor as a giant bed. He didn't mind that she was here, but how did she fit through the door? Did any of the muggles notice a giant white and gold tiger walking into his apartment?

Aisaka rolled onto her side and exposed her fluffy belly, coyly flicking her tail and begging him to come over with her eyes. She stretched out her legs and curled her paws. An animal that large shouldn't be able to be so cute, Harry had no choice but to comply.

As soon as he was in range knelt down and sank his hands into Aisaka's soft fur - a pleased purr immediately erupted in her throat. Under her fluff Aisaka's belly was warm and firm, and responded with a solid  _thunk_  when he patted it.

A paw the size of a dinner-plate nudged his back. Before he knew it he was draped over Aisaka and stretched out to pet her all over.

Aisaka rolled, and the weighty paw kept hold of Harry with her so that he was laying across her middle. She kept tumbling, round and round until he ended up on the ground between her front paws with her large head pressing him into the cushion.

Harry wanted to tell her off but he still couldn't talk, so he had to settle for sliding his hand up and down the short fur on her forehead instead. Aisaka leaned into his palm and started purring again. Her large eyes gave him a slow, content blink. Hedwig sometimes did that too when she was happy.

Harry slowly closed his eyes back at her. When he opened them again, Aisaka let out a happy muff that blew his hair. Then she blinked at him again.

He blinked back.

Hedwig landed next to his cheek and let out a jealous hoot. She rubbed against him, feathers tickling his skin, until he pet her with his free hand.

Honey appeared across the room and let out an undignified squeal, abandoning his bag to press his hands against his mouth. He wistfully stumbled across the room, eyes sparkling, and flopped down next to them.

"I'm dead," Honey mumbled. "You've all killed me with your cuteness."

Harry snorted and went back to petting their familiars. As if they could be anything else but cute. The tiny hoot that escaped Hedwig and Aisaka's responding murr were a testament to that.

When Harry looked at Honey again he had come back to life, propping his head up in his hand and watching them with an easy smile. He looked like he would have been content to observe them forever.

"Sorry for her bringing her over - she insisted on coming with Masako. It's not a problem, right? I can take her back if I have to."

Aisaka purred under Harry's fingers and nuzzled his chest. He shook his head - she was fine.

Honey laughed, "Alright then. Are you feeling any better?"

Harry shrugged. Compared to yesterday, yes. His soul was no longer aching, but everything still felt muted.

"You know, Aisaka's purring is supposed to have healing properties - something about the frequency resonating with your body. Maybe you'll get better even faster with her here!"

Somehow, that didn't surprise Harry. Aisaka was pretty amazing.

Honey summoned his bag over and pulled out a sleek, white rectangle. He flipped it open, but it wasn't a box. Each half had a screen that lit up when Honey pressed a button.

"I know you don't feel like doing anything, but I won't let you run back to your mind. So I brought a bunch of other stuff we can do. I grew up on these games and I thought it'd be fun for you to try one out, but if you don't like it I also have movies and board games."

He handed Harry the device, where colorful text scrolled across the screen. Aisaka and Hedwig protested his hands being taken away but relented when Honey moved closer and took over petting them.

Catchy music blared from the device - Harry jumped and it fell on the cushion. When he picked it back up, an old man in a lab coat stared at him. The carefree slant of his eyes reminded Harry of Dumbledore, and a yellow… mouse thing stood at his side.

"Welcome to the world of Pokemon."

* * *

Harry would die for his bulbasaur. He was a good boy.

* * *

That night they slept in the living room piled up around Aisaka. It was cozy. The tiger bundled them both into her side and curled around them so thoroughly they had to summon over a blanket once she got them settled, but it was hardly needed. She was incredibly warm, and her soft fur was an excellent pillow. Hedwig almost completely disappeared inside it.

In the morning Honey showed him more games and they also watched movies on his laptop, keeping in touch the whole time so their bond could help Harry heal. It seemed to be working - by the next day he had an appetite, but Honey refused to let him touch a ration bar and cooked him an omelette instead.

Things were finally looking up.

* * *

Everything hurt.

Harry trembled and curled into a ball, it was too much - the emptiness, the feelings, the pain. He couldn't stay out any longer, he needed to escape. He cleared his mind and started to sink in, and everything faded away.

A golden pulse ran through him. It felt good - warm. Harry attached himself to the color and let it take over, losing himself in its light.

He woke up in Honey's arms, who anxiously stared down at him - biting his lip and with tears peeking out of his eyes.

Harry did it again, even though he said he wouldn't.

_I'm sorry._

Honey pressed their foreheads together and hugged him tighter. "It's okay Harii, I'll always be here to help."

* * *

The urge to finally do something came out of nowhere, making Harry rush to kitchen He wanted to bake a cake, so he rapidly whisked the cake batter together before his motivation faded.

At least, he tried to.

Honey bounced around him, being a nuisance and too ecstatic at the prospect of cake to care.

Harry flicked the batter at his face - Honey smirked and licked it off, and happily squealed at the taste.

Then he started humming.

Maybe Harry should keep all the cake for himself.

* * *

"Harii-chan, are you feeling well enough for a field trip?"

No. Nope. Absolutely not.

His thoughts must have shown on his face since Honey immediately waved him off between another mouthful of cake. "Maybe tomorrow? Haruhi also wants to visit when you're well enough."

Harry grimaced, but nodded. A visit would be good, he didn't want her to worry about him. And if he wasn't out for too long, he might be able to handle leaving.

Only if Honey was with him though.

* * *

They had a picnic in a deserted meadow, and then Honey brought him to a hospital.

Honey apparated them straight in, and so far they hadn't met a single person. Which was good, if they had Harry would have tried to leave. He was already anxious - as clean as this place was it also looked recently abandoned. Actually, Honey probably arranged for everyone to leave before they arrived.

"Come on Harii," Honey sped up and tugged at his hand. "We're almost there."

Honey always walked faster than him. Maybe it was because he was used to taking more steps from when he had the body of a child, but Harry also wouldn't be surprised if it was because he was just impatient.

They stopped at a private room at the end of the hallway, Honey scanned them in with his ID and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Don't be anxious, this isn't anything bad. Some people just want to see you."

Harry squeezed back - his heart was pounding. He didn't want to meet whoever this was, but he could do this. And if he couldn't, his apartment was just a portkey away.

Honey opened the door to a loud crash.

"Kosei give me back the remote!"

"No! I'm the one injured, I'm not watching any more Korean dramas!"

"I'll make you love them too, now give it to me!"

Underneath Kaori, Kosei locked eyes with them both and froze. Kaori snatched the remote from his outstretched hand and let out a cheer while still straddling him to the bed.

Honey cleared his throat.

Kosei shoved her to the ground and snapped to a salute, or as well as he could with two legs in casts.

"Taicho."

Kaori jumped to her feet and saluted also.

"Taicho!"

Honey gave them a long-suffering glare and sighed. "I told you, you didn't have to do that off-duty. Anyway look, I brought Harii-chan!"

Harry stepped out from behind him and waved at the two. Kosei and Kaori shared a look, then bowed so deep they were perpendicular to the floor.

"Domo arigato gozaimasu!" they shouted and remained in their bow, eyes locked downwards and refusing to glance up. Why were they doing this, and what was Harry supposed to do about it? He looked to Honey, gesturing for help, but all he received was a smile.

The awkward silence stretched on, and eventually Honey realized the problem. "Ah, gomen! Stand back up, Harii can't verbally respond right now."

Once they did, Harry weaved words into the air.  _Your welcome, but why?_

Kaori sent Honey a flabbergasted look. "Is he serious?" she whispered as if Harry couldn't hear her. Honey nodded, and Kosei cleared his throat.

"Hari-san, you saved our lives. If it weren't for you we would have failed that mission, and I'd have a lot worse than broken legs and a concussion." He clapped his hands together and bowed again. "Please, just accept our gratitude."

"They aren't the only ones thankful you know," Honey said. "Everyone involved in that operation knows what you did, including the victims. If you didn't hate attention there'd be a big ceremony and a medal. You might still get the medal, but it won't a big production."

A ceremony was the last thing he wanted, if they tried to hold one he wouldn't go. They'd tried to have one in England too once he'd gotten better, but all that resulted in wsa spells being thrown at him and a riot. He was never going to go to one again.

The door to the room creaked open, and a tiny green-haired boy poked his head in. Freckles dotted his cheeks, and his eyes were wide and excited. "It's you!"

He rushed at Harry and was almost blasted away on reflex. Before he knew it Harry had a bouncing kid who was  _way too close_  and mumbling up a storm.

Harry couldn't understand a word he said, his Japanese wasn't nearly good enough.

The boy ran out of breath, but before he could recover Kaori rested her hands on his shoulders and pulled him back. "Izuku-chan calm down!" The boy gasped for breath and his cheeks turned red, but still looked at Harry with stars in his eyes. It was weird, he'd never seen that level of adoration directed at anyone before, let alone  _himself_.

Kosei laughed from his bed. "Izuku is one of the children rescued, and he saw all of your fight with Zhao until it went outside. He hasn't stopped talking about you since."

The boy's face became a tomato, or maybe a strawberry if his freckles were the seeds. "Sorry," he bounced, "but you're just so cool! You flew in like  _WHOOSH_  and stopped all his attacks like  _BLAM_ and saved everyone! You're my hero!"

Everyone was looking at Harry, except Honey who was silently gushing over the boy. Sure he was cute, but how was Harry supposed to respond? He wished he could signal Honey for help, but he was useless whenever he was distracted by something cute.

Angry red letters appeared over Kaori's head.  _Don't embarrass me in front of the child._

Harry panicked and quickly scrawled a message out.  _I'm glad you're alright._

Izuku gasped and started mumbling again. "Why can't you talk, are you mute? How'd you make those letters, was that magic too? If you can't how do you use magic? Everyone else I've seen has had to use an incantation..."

Harry conjured a chair. This was going to be a long visit.

* * *

"That was nice, don'tcha think?"

Honey sprawled on this cushion, head on his hands and with a slice of cake in front of him. Harry was doing the same with Hedwig on his back, and Aisaka lounged next to them both.

_I guess._

When he'd killed Voldemort, no one had thanked him for it. It was his responsibility, because of the prophecy, so it was just a job finally complete. By the time he could have maybe gone out in public the criticisms and rumors were already spreading. No one was talking about thanking him, they were talking about locking him away.

It was different being thanked for his work. The Dursley's had certainly never thanked him, the only one who ever had was Dumbledore.

It felt nice.

* * *

There was a feeling building up that Harry couldn't identify. It wasn't bad, but it made him want to sink into Aisaka's fur and cry.

He scrunched his nose at the thought. That'd be weird, but why did it also sound nice?

A movie played in the background, Honey was watching it but Harry had barely paid it any attention. They sat close together, holding hands and leaning back into Aisaka. They'd been so glued together lately that feeling the absence of their bond was weirder than going without now. They'd been existing in an idyllic bubble, but any day now it would pop and life would go back to normal.

He wasn't sure if he wanted it to.

_Thank you, for everything._

Warmth erupted across their bond. "You don't need to thank me, I told you I'd be here for you." Honey hugged him closer and gave him a playful smirk. "Besides, you're my hero too."

Harry snorted.

_Dork._

* * *

That night, once Honey was sleeping, Harry went back into his mind. The void was still there, but it was smaller. And surrounding it was soft, warm gold.

The longer he watched the smaller it became. Ever so slowly, the hole was being replaced by Honey.

Harry left his mind and cuddled closer to Mitsukuni - he really should call him by his first name in his mind, but until now it hadn't felt natural.  _Mitsukuni_  was right. Being soulmates was more than just a title. It was something bigger, it was something special.

Mitsukuni deserved a better soulmate than Harry. He was still broken, and maybe he'd never get completely better, but he stayed with him anyways.

Harry needed to be better. For Mitsukuni, and for himself. He didn't want to live like this forever, afraid to even go outside on his own. It would be hard, but he could do it - and he finally understood that he didn't have to do it on his own.

Seeing Mitsukuni, Haruhi, Izuku, and everyone else have so much hope for the future…

It filled him with Determination.

* * *

A/N: Hey, It's been a while. Hope you all enjoyed the update!


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